Hi People

This is my new fanfic. I've been playing around with the idea of turning this into a story with a side story or two ;) or just doing a series of once-off fluff. Some what do you think?

If I was turning it into a story I would be bringing some of Kelley Armstrong's characters from her other series "Women of the Other World" in. So what do you think?

For anyone out there who hasn't read them and likes some good citrus scenes all I can say is READ THEM!

And as I must say much to my disappointment:

"I do not own "The Darkest Powers" or any of its characters except in my dreams where we shall have tea parties" ;)

Okay this was not going well. So far what I've learned from my "self-defence lesson" is that:

A). Simon was a useless teacher, he knew the stuff alright but teaching it to someone else not a particular strong point of his. So far our "lesson" has been interrupted with text messages, food breaks and a bloody nose on his side that may or may not have been an accident when he attempted to tickle me.

Well in my defence I was practising my routine and he just so happened to get in the way during elbow to the face. Which caused Tori to laugh so hard her drink went up her nose and was thrown from her deck chair by a knout back spell from Simon which in turn had Derek and me laughing only made laugh harder by the identical glares from Simon and Tori.

And B). It pretty hard to be taught when your "teacher" is currently having a screaming contest with his half sibling followed by the occasional blast as someone let off a spell. Just thank god for Kit's silence spell or the neighbours would be breaking down the doors.

All this had me retreating inside to the kitchen for a drink. I stood there for a moment as I opened the fridge letting the cold air cool my too hot skin. Hmmm... Choices, choices. I stood there eyeing a can of coke trying to remember if we had some freeze pops left when a pair of strong arms wound themselves around my waist, I lay back against Derek's chest letting his distinctive musky smell envelope me.

We had been on the run for almost a year and a half now and I still couldn't believe it was that long, sometimes I would catch a glimpse of someone who looked liked dad or Annette and would just caught myself in time to stop myself calling out. I missed my old life in so many ways but I had reached a level of happiness here I hadn't felt since my mom died.

Every now and again I would get a stab of pain and guilt as I saw my picture flash up on screen along side my dad but these had grown less frequent as my face blurred together with the rest of society's missing teens. "Hmmm...so what are the options?" I blinked and mentally shook myself, no time for self-pity. I leaned right back against his shoulder so my I could see his face.

"Think there's any freezy pops?" Derek shook his head, a smile tugging on the corner of his lips. "Simon got the last one. But..." he tilted his head slightly to the side, a gesture I had come to recognize as him listening intently. "I believe we can go now we'll make it for the ice-cream van at the bottom of the street?"

He left the sentence hanging as a question. "Hmmmm..." I stood slightly up on my tippee toes tilting my face so I was so close his breath whispered across my parched lips sending shivers down my spine. "Let's go" I grabbed his hand in both of mine and tugged him towards the front door laughing at his bemused expression.

After a second it wasn't so much me pulling him then him pulling me down the hall to the front door. "One minute," it came out as a breathy giggle but he still heard he paused for a second just enough time I needed before I launch myself on his back, landing further down then I would have liked and had to very ungracefully try and scramble the rest of the way up.

His hands gripped my thighs as he shifted me higher up his back. "Ready now?" a barely concealed smile in his voice. "Huh? Not to even an attempted to appear that winded you?" I got a chuckle from that. "Sorry, but your not exactly heavy."

"But I'm not that light either" he snorted but after a second he pretended to stagger at rest against the front door frame. "Better?"

"Much" I didn't so much as hear as feel his laugh this time, resonating through his chest. I rested my chin on his shoulder and played with a strand of his too long hair as I let the rhythm of his footsteps and the sun's heat lull me to a half-conscience.

The slap of Derek's flip flops on the pavement and the laughter of some kids having a water fight in the distance, were the only sound to break the silence. As we headed under the lush shade of some trees that lined the side of the street with there cool shade a heavenly contrast to July's heat. Of all the places that I had lived in my life this had to be my favourite.

We were living at the moment on the outskirts of Miami in a little suburbia haven where you would find people sitting on there porches in a rocking chair and a one dollar glass of ice tea or lemonade from a stand set up their neighbour's kid.

"Think I need to get it cut?" said Derek indicating to his hair. "Definitely" I couldn't help but laugh. Derek hair now almost reached his shoulders and at this point I could braid it. Over the past year since his first change the puberty smacked down seemed to have come to a stand still.

His face was no more a before add for acne beside for one or two little scars his face was blemish free, and his hair though long no longer hung in lank greasy strands. I had also finally convinced him that his baggy clothes did not in fact make him look any less intimidating. All in all he looked so much better, okay that was an understatement.

"So the Barbers or a dog grooming salon?" He snorted. "I was think more on the lines of getting a scissors and doing it myself."

"That may not be the best idea." I couldn't help but cringe at the thought of Derek's last attempted with scissors. Lets just leave it at the fact we had to buy new scissors and I was lucky to still have all my fingers.

"Fine you do it then."

"No. The only thing scarier then you with a scissors is me with one. How about Aunt Lauren she'd do okay?" Again he snorted. "Uh huh, until she sliced an artery. I think I'll take my chance with a Barbers then."

I could hear the ice cream truck now a sweet distorted version of "pop goes the weasel" drifting up the street. A gaggle of children swamping the window, pushing their way to the front to be the first to get an icy treat.

"You did remember the money didn't you." I whispered in his ear. He swore as he slapped his jeans in search for his wallet, I daggled a ten in front of his face laughing. "Well, at least someone was thinking." I got a glare for that as he snatched the note and dropped me on the grass beside a bus bench.

By the time I had dusted myself off with as must dignity as I could muster and sat on the bench, he was back. A neon orange lolly pop as a peace offering, he handed me mine before sitting down beside me and started his, his arm draped across the back of the bench. We sat there in silence as we quickly ate our lollies before they melted in the sun.

Be the time I'd licked the neon orange layer of my lolly and had got down to the really ice cream, he was almost finished. A revenge plan suddenly sparked in my mind, okay it wasn't original but hey I'd give it a shot. "Derek, you've got just a little scream just there." I said pointing to my cheek. He rubbed his cheek in the attempt to remove the non-existent ice cream.

"Nope, you didn't get. Here let me." I stood up and bent over his face and quickly shoved my ice cream into his face and started running back in the direction of the house. I didn't get five feet before powerful arms grasped me around my waist and throw me over his shoulder in a fire man's lift, knocking the air from me.

I gave a half hearted attempt to escape but soon gave up, breathless from laughing so hard. If I bent just right I could the ice cream dripping down his face on to the collar of his t-shirt.

Yeah, life was good.

Okay this is just some starter fluff. Sorry if it's a lil' OCC but I'm trying to make it as light hearted fun as I can...

And all I can say for discarding "The Finding" is that I'm sorry but I hope this might help make up for it. As all ways so I know I'm going in the right direction and not digging my way to china with this R&R

Love yas

Nelly xxx