Thanks for checking out my story. Review and tell me if you think I should do the same story from Derek's point of view, too. Otherwise, enjoy! Oh, and I really, REALLY recommend you watch the music video for Josh Turner's "Your Man."
He had something planned. That much was obvious. He'd been quiet and distracted all day. I tried talking to him about it, but he changed the subject, if he responded at all. So I went to Simon.
"Simon?" I asked, knocking on his door frame.
"Yeah?" he replied, busy drawing at his desk. "Come on in." I went in and sat on his bed. He continued drawing for another few minutes, then put his pencil down and turned in his chair to face me. "What's up?"
"Derek," I said. "He's been acting weird all day, and won't talk to me. I'm just worried, I guess," I admitted.
"Oh, geez," he muttered, running one hand through his spiky blonde hair.
"What? What is it?" I asked anxiously.
"He didn't want me to say anything, but he's obviously gotten you all worked up and worried about it, so I'll give you a TINY hint," he said mysteriously.
"Just tell me, Simon. I'm dying here," I said, desperate for answers.
"Alright, alright. He's got something special planned for tonight. But I'm not allowed to tell you what on pain of death. His words, not mine," Simon said, holding his hands up in surrender.
"But...," I sighed. "Okay."
"Great. So, now that that's all taken care of, come take a look at this panel. I'm up to the part where we're hiding in the pool house at Andrew's place, and I'm stuck what to write for it..."
So for the next half hour Simon and I worked on his comic of our adventures. Strangely, every event was seared perfectly into my memory, even though it's been six months since Mr. Bae found us and Derek and I got together.
"There you are, Chloe," Tori said, coming into the doorway. "I've been looking everywhere for you. Let's go."
"What do you mean? Go where?" I asked, confused.
"To my room. Come on, it'll be fun," Tori said, grinning. That had me almost as worried as her wanting to spend extra time with me. I warily followed her down the hallway of the safe-house to her bedroom, which she was thrilled to have to herself.
"Alright Tori, what's going on?" I asked when she'd shut the door behind us.
"You have a hot date tonight," she announced, then broke down in giggles. There was a pause.
"I don't get it," I said. I probably sounded really stupid, but nothing about today had made sense. This was only the latest thing to make my mind spin.
"It's not brain surgery, Chloe! Yeesh. You. Derek. A night out. It's that simple. Nothing to be confused about," Tori said when she was back under control.
"Yeah, but I've always gotten myself ready for dates. Why-"
"This one is different, and I swear, if you try to make me say any more than that, I'll blast you with energy. Okay, now," she said, opening her closet door. "What to wear..."
"Uh, my date, my outfit, my choice," I said, coming to stand beside her. "My closet."
"But my clothes are so much nicer," Tori said easily.
"But your clothes don't fit me as well as my clothes, being my clothes and all," I argued.
"Oh, hush. You're just jealous I know what's going on and you don't," she threw back at me. She walked into her closet and started flipping through various items of clothing on hangers. I knew it was futile to try and talk to her when she was like this, so I shut my mouth and watched as she examined and rejected outfit after outfit.
"How about that one?" I said, pointing.
"Oh my god, no," Tori said.
"That one would work, too."
"No it won't."
"That one looks just fine to me," I said.
"It is a good thing I'm here for you," was all Tori said. "Now shut it and let me work my magic, so to speak."
I sighed and stepped back again. My thoughts turned to what the super-secret...thing...was going to be. A date with Derek, yes, but we've been on several. Being on the run doesn't really afford much time and opportunity for big romantic gestures. This definitely qualified as big and romantic.
"Oh. My. God. You're wearing this," Tori whispered. Was that really awe in her voice? For Heaven's sake, it was just clothes. Nevertheless, I came up behind her and looked at what she was holding up.
"Tori-"
"Hush. This is perfect for what he wants. Now go put it on," Tori said, thrusting the green dress into my hands and pushing me towards the bathroom next door.
I turned on the lights and closed the bathroom door. I took a deep breath, and looked more closely at what Tori was so excited about. The dress was a rich, dark green that went well with my newly-redyed light brown hair (so much better than black), and had a simple, modest v-neck. There was some detailing under the bust line, and would come to about my knees. Choosing to put my faith in Tori's fashion abilities, I slipped the dress on and turned to look in the mirror.
What I saw was not what I was expecting. I looked...kinda pretty. The green really complemented my hair and eyes. It wasn't revealing, and fit comfortably. I swayed my hips, and the hem of the dress swayed with me.
"You done yet? We've got work to do!" Tori yelled through the door. I opened the door for her, just as Simon was walking by.
"Hey, Chlo-"
"Absolutely not!" Tori shrieked, slapping her hand over Simon's eyes.
"Nice to see you too, witch," Simon said, frowning.
"Go play with Derek. We girls are busy," Tori said, her voice bordering on threatening.
"Can I have my eyes back?" Simon spat.
"Close 'em, turn around, and not a word to Derek," Tori said tersely.
"Yeah, yeah. It's just a date. Not even your date, actually," Simon muttered, but did as Tori said (demanded). He managed to wink at me as he turned, then sauntered down the hall, whistling, and went into Derek's room.
"That was close," Tori said, entering the small bathroom and locking the door.
"Is that really necessary?" I asked.
"Yes. Now, hair and makeup. I found this barrette for you to wear. Hand my your brush," she said, getting down to business. I wordlessly handed it to her. She was surprisingly gentle as she brushed out my hair and pulled the top half back, clipping it securely in the barrette.
"Hm. Lip gloss, definitely," she said, studying my face. "You blush easily enough, no need for that..." I blushed at her comment. Tori turned around and started digging through her makeup bag that she'd placed on the counter earlier.
She turned back with a brush in one hand and a palette of gold eye shadow in the other. I gulped nervously.
"Relax, Chloe. Just trust me," Tori said softly. I nodded my consent, and she went to work.
Fifteen minutes later, she stepped back and inspected her handiwork. "Perfect." Tori moved aside to put her makeup stuff away, and I was able to get a good look at myself in the mirror.
"Wow," I said. I turned my head left and right, studying the subtly changes to my appearance.
"Thank you," Tori said proudly. "Come put your shoes on, and you can go meet up with Derek. I think I kept you past the time he said to be ready by anyway."
I went into my room, where my only pair of shoes – gray converse – were sitting on the floor where I'd kicked them off earlier.
"It's too bad you don't have anything nicer," Tori sighed, looking at them as I tied the laces.
"We're on the run from bad guys; we can't really have a bunch of extra stuff. It's more to carry around or leave behind," I reminded her.
"I know," Tori said ruefully. I kinda felt bad for her, but nerves about tonight quickly replaced the sympathy for my friend. "Are you ready?"
"No," I said. A little nervous laugh escaped me.
"Chloe, trust me. You're gonna enjoy yourself. Just, relax. Trust Derek, and more importantly, trust yourself," Tori said.
"That was really deep," I told her.
"Yeah, I know." We stared at each other. "Oh, come on," Tori said, rolling her eyes. I ran over and hugged her.
"Thanks, Tori. For everything," I whispered.
"You're such a drama queen, Chloe. Besides, we're friends. Now go get your man – he's waiting downstairs," Tori said, pulling back. I nodded and went to the top of the stairs.
Still a bit nervous, I kept one hand on the railing as I descended the staircase. Aunt Lauren, Kit, and Simon were waiting at the bottom, watching me make my grand entrance. And then I saw Derek.
He was dressed in black slacks and a white dress shirt that was just a little too tight, with a green tie that matched his eyes. He held a single red rose in his hands. When I was halfway down, he stepped forward, and when I reached the first floor, he was right there, intense green eyes holding me captive as I stared at him.
"You look beautiful, Chloe," he whispered to me. I promptly blushed. He stepped back and shifted his gaze away, allowing me to see the small crowd watching us.
"Chloe," Aunt Lauren said. I could tell she was about to cry. I stepped over and gave her a fierce hug, which did it for her and the waterworks started.
"Now, Lauren," Kit stepped in after a minute. He put his hand on her shoulder and gently pulled her back. "Let the kids go on their special night."
"You look really beautiful, sweetheart," Aunt Lauren said. Kit handed her a tissue, rolling his eyes at Simon, who snickered.
"Okay, lovebirds," Simon said. "Have fun." With that, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and wandered off, probably to watch TV, whistling that same tune as before.
"But not too much fun, because that is my dress," Tori said. She hugged me one last time, and then went back upstairs. Derek coughed awkwardly.
"We'll be back before 10:30," he said.
"Okay. You know the rules. Be safe, have fun," Kit told us. Keeping his arm around Aunt Lauren, he turned toward the kitchen, and I could hear him say soothingly to her, "I'll make some tea."
And suddenly it was just me and Derek. He gave me a small smile and handed me the rose.
"Thank you," I said, taking it. I held it to my nose and sniffed the delicate flower.
"We should go," Derek said. I nodded and took his hand, and together we walked out to the plain white van that Kit had bought. He opened the passenger side door for me, then walked around to his side and got in. After he and Liz drove to the rescue at the Edison Group Lab, Kit trusted him with the keys.
We drove in a comfortable silence for about ten minutes, when Derek pulled onto the shoulder.
"What's wrong?" I asked him.
"Nothing. But where we're going is a surprise," he said. He was holding a blindfold. "Please?"
I decided to trust him. "Go ahead."
He tied it tight enough that it wouldn't slip, but not too tight. After pulling back, he got back onto the road and continued driving. Five minutes later, and I felt the car slow, turn, and drive slowly. We must have reached our destination. I reached for the blindfold.
"Oh, no, you don't," Derek said, catching my hands. "Just be patient."
I huffed and crossed my arms. He chuckled and came around to help me out of the van. He led me, shuffling, for a few feet, then, impatient as always, swept me up bridal style and carried me the rest of the way to wherever we were going. We went through two sets of doors, walked, paused while Derek talked to someone, then down a long hallway, and through another set of doors. I heard the door click shut, then Derek set me gently on my feet.
"Can I take the blindfold off yet?" I whispered.
"Allow me," he whispered back. I felt his big hands at the back of my head, fumbling with the knot, and then the blindfold was gone, and I stared at the scene before me.
We were in a huge, elegant room, like a ballroom. It was completely empty, except for a small round table with a white table cloth in the center, candles lit, and two places set. There were candles set around the room, giving it a warm feel for such a huge place.
"Derek...did you do all this...for me?" I asked, still taking in the romantic scene.
"Yeah...," he whispered, sounding almost shy. "Do you like it?"
"I love it," I said, hugging him. "It's perfect."
"Hungry?"
"Famished," I replied. We walked arm in arm to the table. Derek pulled my chair out and waited for me to sit before doing the same.
Out of nowhere, a waiter appeared, bearing a silver tray with two plates of steaming...macaroni and cheese. I grinned at Derek as the server placed the dishes in front of us and disappeared. He grinned back.
"I didn't want you to feel overwhelmed, so I got your favorite," he said.
"You're amazing, you know that, right?" I asked.
"Yes," he said. We laughed, and conversation flowed smoothly as we ate our macaroni. The waiter came and took our dishes away, and came back with chocolate cake. My Achilles heel, truly.
"This is so awesome, Derek," I said, taking a bite. "I can't believe you did all this for me."
"I did it for me, too," he said, in typical Derek fashion. "I'm glad you like it."
When the cake was gone, I sat back, thinking the night was about over, and sighed happily.
"Are you tired?" Derek asked.
"Not really. Are you?" I asked, sitting back up.
"No," he said. He took out a small dark box. "Um, here," he said, holding it out.
"What is it?" I asked, accepting it, curious.
"A gift," he said simply.
"Derek, you didn't have to get me anything. This night by itself is gift enough," I argued.
"Just open it," he said. I studied his face for a moment before again studying the little box. I opened the lid slowly. Inside was a small gold locket. I gasped.
"Open it up," Derek said softly. I looked at him in astonishment, then did as he said. Inside was a picture of us that Simon had drawn. It showed Derek, in wolf form, standing, and me, sitting beside him, my arms around his neck. I looked back up at him. To my embarrassment, I felt tears start to form, and one slide down my cheek.
"Oh, gosh, Chloe, I didn't mean to make you cry," Derek said worriedly. He got up and came around to my side of the table and hugged me.
"It's beautiful, Derek. Thank you," I said, throwing my arms around him. He stiffened, as though I'd caught him off guard, before he relaxed and held me tighter.
"Want me to put it on you?" he asked, his breath tickling my ear.
"Yes," I breathed. He gently took it from me, and moved behind me. I watched him lower it around my neck, then reached back to hold my hair out the way. He fastened the clasp and let the chain fall. He leaned down and kissed my neck, then came around to stand in front of me again. He held his hand out to me, his eyes asking without words for me to put my faith in him yet again. Sure of both him and myself, I put my right hand in his outstretched one, and let him pull me up. He took a few steps backwards and I followed, my hand still in his. He nodded to someone over his shoulder, and I heard the opening chords of Josh Turner's "Your Man" softly fill the room. Derek's other hand found my waist, and we just started swaying together. My empty left hand found its way around Derek's neck, and I rested my face against his chest. We kept swaying slowly, Derek softly singing along with the song, his deep voice easily matching the singer's.
I admit, I teared up again. How did I end up with such a perfect man? I could feel Derek's heartbeat, seemingly in sync with mine as we moved to the smooth song. When it ended, we stayed together, just shifting from side to side.
"I love you," I choked out.
"I know," Derek said calmly. I sniffed. "I love you, too."
I clung to Derek, my anchor. He let me, just holding me as I reclaimed control. When I stopped crying, I lifted my head and stared in his eyes. He met my gaze, his green eyes full of the love too great for words. I lifted onto tip-toes, and he bent down to meet me halfway. Our lips met, expressing the emotions I couldn't put into words. His lips were soft but firm as I held him to me.
When we broke apart for air, I hugged him tight. "I love you," I said again.
"What was that? I didn't hear you," Derek said. He was smiling at me.
I rolled my eyes, knowing his bionic hearing prevented him from not hearing everything. "I love you. I love you so much, Derek Souza."
"I will never tire of hearing you say that," he said. "I love you, Chloe."
