I love happily ever afters. And I, for one, believe that Chloe and Derek should have a happily ever after! (:

So, this is my one-shot of Derek and Chloe's wedding! Yay! I hope you guys enjoy it. Leave me a review to let me know what you think. (Plus, I'm a review-junkie. Haha.)

The Darkest Powers series belongs to Kelley Armstrong.

The Happiest Day

Chloe

I stood in front of the floor-length mirror and looked at myself for the millionth time that day. My heart was pounding so hard that I thought it was going to fight its way out of my chest. I gave myself a slight smile. I had honestly never expected this day to come. When you're running around trying to save your life, a moment like this is not something you expect to have.

But he'd managed to find a way to give it to me.

Someone came up behind me, fluffing my hair up around my shoulders. I tried to avoid biting down on my lip, since it would ruin the carefully applied shine that Tori had put there. The woman in question peeked over my shoulder. She looked happier than I'd seen her in a long time, which was sort of a surprise. It was so easy to close my eyes and imagine her as a teenager, all snarky attitude and biting sarcasm. Her personality hadn't changed much, but she had cut her hair into an angled bob a couple years ago. It made her look older, but in a good way. Sophisticated and refined.

Tori brushed my hair out of my eyes, making it obey. I was back to my regular blonde, a color that I'd finally switched back to when I turned eighteen and gained legal representation of my own health - meaning that nobody could force me back into a group home. Besides, by that point my hair had been dyed all of the colors of the rainbow, so my natural blonde was probably the least expected by enemies. As I looked in the mirror, I could make out disjointed images of my past – wispy black hair that had made me look tired and younger than my fifteen years.

I took a heavy sigh, and Tori's hand grabbed mine. "Be happy," she said quietly. "I don't think too many genetic freaks get a day like this." She added as she held up a long white veil. She fit the tiny headband into my hair and laid the veil flat on my back. It was simple and plain and perfect.

"I am," I said back in a whisper. And for the first time in a long time, it was true. Of course, I'd been excited when he'd first slipped that diamond ring on my fourth finger. I didn't know how he'd been able to pay for it, but it didn't matter. It was what he had done for me. And I loved it.

Tori smiled and stepped back. I could see the two of us in the mirror. My blonde hair still as wavy as ever, was tied back into an elegant and complicated knot. The veil covered the back of my neck. The dress had a sweetheart neckline, which left my amulet necklace, now a color that was more lavender than the clear red it had been before. It was still tied around my neck with a ribbon. It made me smile and bite back the tears.

It was hard to close my eyes and relive the past. It was hard to think that he and I weren't normal people, and that our lives had been more trying than most people's. It was hard to wonder if we'd be safe for much longer.

Tori smoothed out the back bodice of my dress, white and carefully beaded. My skirt was almost like a princess dress, but it was less of a poof and more of a long train that followed me. Tori had gone with me to pick it out. We'd found it on the clearance rack of a secondhand shop. It cost me less than a hundred dollars, but it was perfect. It had a shape that I'd never seen before, but it managed to flatter my smaller stature.

Tori leaned into my face and wiped a smear of my makeup off with her thumb. She stood a lot taller than me in her heels, especially since I was wearing satiny white ballet shoes. Tori's hair, which she had curled for the occasion, was lying in neat ringlets. Her dark teal dress came down to her knee and had one strap, draping across her tall body. Paired with her black high heels, Tori was shining. She gave me an easy smile.

"Look, Chloe. I know you're nervous and anything, but don't freak out. You'll start to stutter on your vows, and that will ruin the whole thing."

I rolled my eyes and pursed my lips. "Not really helping, Tori," I said.

"Oh, well, then, how's this: if you screw up on your vows, it'll screw up your wedding and I'll happily proceed to burn your eyebrows off." She said, flexing her manicured fingers wickedly.

I laughed, trying not to cry. It was amazing out the two of us had started out as complete and total enemies, and now she was my maid of honor. Of course, she'd joked that there wasn't really anyone else to take the position, but that was just her trying to play down her role. She wouldn't want people to think that we were too friendly. Tori flashed me a grin and reached out to grab my bouquet – brightly colored flowers. I couldn't even identify what they were. That was Tori's area of expertise.

Together, we stepped out of my dressing rooms and down the hall. She stopped in front of two big dark wood doors. I couldn't hear anything coming from the other side of the door, but there wasn't exactly a crowd waiting. I could hear the sound of the piano, though, sitting in the back of the room.

"Now, smile, hold your head up, and look down at poor shmuck at the end of the aisle." Tori said, taking her place in front of me. She tightened my hands around the stem of my bouquet and gave them a quick squeeze, followed by a genuine smile, something that was rare and truly nice to see on her face.

Tori reached for the door handle, and I took a deep breath. The moment she opened them, everyone would turn to look, and they would see me standing there, alone. My dad wasn't there to hand me off to my future husband. He had no idea I was getting married. It hurt, but it wasn't as bad as it could've been. Dad was safe without me there, and he was even safer when he didn't know where I was or what I was doing.

Tori pulled open the door and took a step forward. She headed down the aisle. That's when I closed my eyes are started to count in my head. Tori had told me that when I got to ten, I was supposed to look down the aisle and see where she was. If she was most of the way down, I was to start after her. I could remember her advice clearly, since it had been a repetitive mantra in my head for the last day. Breathe, smile, and think of how happy you'll be.

… Eight. Nine. Ten.

I opened my eyes. Tori was most of the way down the aisle. I straightened my back, my hands gripping onto my color bouquet tighter as I took the first step. I took a deep breath as the piano music started playing the classical wedding march, smooth and in a higher tone. I lifted my eyes and felt a small smile creep onto my lips.

And I started to walk. My dress drug on the rug behind me. I kept my head up, taking in the smiles of the guests as they stood and looked back at me. Aunt Lauren was in the crowd, holding a handkerchief to her face. Kit was dressed in a tux. They stood next to each other in one of the pews. I caught sight of Tori standing at the end, hugging her bouquet to her chest. Opposite of her on the stage was Simon. He was dressed smartly in a tuxedo, his hands clasped together in front of him. A single flower hung in the lapel of his tux.

And then I looked at him. The poor shmuck at the end of the aisle.

He was breathtaking in his black and white suit. His hair, freshly cut, was still long and hung in his usual fashion, though he'd obviously run a comb through it. A bright flower was in his lapel, just like Simon's. His eyes were glowing a bright green that I could see all the way down the aisle. Granted, it was a short aisle, but still.

I reached the stairs, where he was waiting. He stepped down and took my hand. I noticed that not only was I shaking, he was too. He led me up the steps, and I turned to hand my bouquet off to Tori. She smiled at me sincerely as I turned back to face him. My future husband.

Tori slid Derek's ring off her thumb to hand to me. Simon dug mine out of his breast pocket. Derek slid the diamond ring onto my finger, and I slid the thick metal band onto his.

"Do you, Derek Souza, take Chloe Saunders to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Derek gave me a smile, his eyes on fire. It was completely different than the flame that affected him when he was about to change. This time, it was a reflection of pure love. It made me smile at him. He reached out with a hand and touched my cheek. He wiped away a tear with his thumb. "Of course I do," he said in a whisper.

"Do you, Chloe Saunders, take Derek Souza to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

I sniffled loudly. It was sort of embarrassing. It made me think of Tori threatening to burn off my eyebrows, and I tried not to giggle out loud. "I d-do." I said between the tears that slipped down my cheeks, ruining my carefully applied makeup.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Derek flashed a smile into the audience. He was probably looking at Kit. I reached up and touched his cheek. He looked down at me, folding my hand into his. With his other hand, he cupped my face and lifted my chin to look up at him. He leaned down towards me. Our lips brushed once, gently. He pulled back for a second, and then kissed me again, seriously. I could feel the smile on his lips as he held me tight against him.

Derek

I'd never loved someone so much in my life. And now she was finally mine. We stood in a gazebo outside of the church. It was decorated in white flowers, vines growing up trellises that covered half of the gazebo. From where we stood, we could see a lake, full with swans and ducks.

"Are you happy?" She whispered. She'd changed from her beautiful wedding dress to a shorter one that mocked a sundress. She was beautiful in anything.

"Of course I am." I said, leaning down to kiss her. She kissed me back, her hands on my neck. I liked the feeling of her hands, small and gentle as she touched my face and held on to me. "Are you happy?" I asked her.

Chloe smiled at me. I reached up and undid the knot her hair had been tied in. Her hair tumbled down onto my hands. "I've never been happier." She said back.

She was my world.

And I was hers.

So, what did you guys think? It's certainly shorter than any of my chapters, but it's only a oneshot, so… (;

If you liked this, do me a favor and go check out my other Darkest Powers fanfictions: After the End, a murder mystery which follows Chloe and the gang post-The Reckoning; and Half Breeds, about Derek and Chloe's children and the villain they have to face.

Leave me a review and let me know what you guys thought! Peace (: