IIt's a beautiful night,
We're looking for something dumb to do.
Hey baby,
I think I wanna marry you. /I
Derek smiled. He knew that for a long time he hadn't done much smiling, and the sensation was still a little alien feeling to him... but for Chloe, he'd smile until his face fell off if he could spend every night like this, with her. They were on their way home from a date. Still hoping to find more kids like themselves, they were travelling all over the different states, following leads while still on the run from the Edison group.
Not that they were children anymore. Derek was twenty years old now, and still found it strange to think of himself as an adult. His has was still long—long enough to tie back now. He was changing with regularity and confidence. He'd very much grown into his body. Tori called him buff, and said his shoulders were definitely "door crashers".
Chloe had turned nineteen and... well, Derek didn't have the words to describe her. She hadn't gotten much taller, but her curves had filled out and softened with the years. Her hair was back to the sunshine blonde she'd been when they first met—minus the red streaks—and she'd recently cut it short. It curled and flipped around her face in a way that made her look impish when she smiled, yet somehow still managed to make her look older.
They stood at the door of their current home, unwilling to head inside and let the night end. They both knew Derek's father Kit and Chloe's aunt Lauren were waiting for them inside. Derek rested his hands on Chloe's shoulders, stepping closer to her. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. She pressed up as far as she could against him, kissing him with more passion than anyone as tiny as Chloe should posses. Relunctantly, Derek pulled back.
"Chloe, I—"
"You're late!" Aunt Lauren announced as she flung open the door. "It is twenty after eleven, Derek."
Chloe rolled her eyes, "And I'm sure you're aware that we've been standing outside for twenty minutes, Aunt Lauren." She threw Derek an apologetic smile and swept inside. Derek barely managed to stifle the grown in his throat, but her gave Lauren an annoyed glare and followed Chloe into the house.
IIs it the look in your eyes,
Or is it this dancing juice?
Who cares baby,
I think I wanna marry you. /I
Chloe's laugh was bright as she threw the pillow back at him. Derek quirked a grin at her and growled playfully. They HAD been doing homework, but all ideas of education and learning flew from his mind as he rose up and stalked towards her. Chloe tossed him a confident, smirk—a challenge. The wolf in him rose to the challenge and before she could react he pounced. Both went down laughing as Derek reached for his sides, looking for that one...
Chloe shrieked as he tickled her mercilessly. They rolled on the bed and they next thing they knew they were kissing in between laughter. It didn't take long for the laughter to die down, and the kissing to take precedent.
"Chloe Saunders!" the piercing voice of Lauren broke the intimate moment.
After that, Lauren determined that it was a bEtter idea for the girls to live separately from the boys.
IWell I know this little chapel on the boulevard we can go,
No one will know,
Come on girl.
Who cares if we're trashed got a pocket full of cash we can blow,
Shots of patron,
And it's on girl. /I
Derek hung on to Chloe's window sill, leaning in as far as he could. "Come on, slowpoke!" he hissed, even though he was grinning. Chloe threw a pair of rolled up socks at him. He ducked and they went flying out the window.
"I'm hurrying!"
"Well, hurry faster!"
She stopped at the foot of her bed, next to an open bag, with her hands on her hips. "Derek Souza, if you had given me any sort of warning I would be ready already!" But she was grinning too.
Minutes later she was at the window. Derek took her bag and climbed down the way he'd come. He set the bag on the ground and turned to Chloe, who was sitting on the sill of the window, legs dangling down.
"You ready?"
She took a deep breath and looked back at her room. When she turned back, she nodded and he stepped closer to the house. She wiggled forward as much as she could, and then she jumped.
Catching Chloe was like catching a bag of cotton candy, she was so light.
He grinned at her while she was in his arms. He couldn't help it. She'd said yes and they were going to... going to... well, he hadn't quite gotten over that she'd said yes.
IDon't say no, no, no, no-no;
Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah;
And we'll go, go, go, go-go.
If you're ready, like I'm ready. /I
They stood outside of the tiny chapel on the edge of nowhere. They'd driven three days to find a little place that didn't ask too many questions. Derek was wearing dress pants and a dress shirt and tie. Chloe wore a knee-length, white summer dress. He looked down at her, only to find her biting her lips.
"Chloe?" She looked up at him. "What's wrong?"
"I... I don't know if I can do this." She paused, and Derek's heart dropped. "I mean... I feel bad that you Dad and Simon and Tori and Aunt Lauren, and my father are going to miss this." Derek could almost taste his relief. He'd thought...
Derek stepped in front of her. "If you want to wait, just say the word."
Chloe looked from Derek to her dress, and finally the chapel behind him.
ICause it's a beautiful night,
We're looking for something dumb to do.
Hey baby,
I think I wanna marry you. /I
Derek led her up the stairs to the little non-denominational chapel.
IIs it the look in your eyes,
Or is it this dancing juice?
Who cares baby,
I think I wanna marry you.
I'll go get a ring let the choir bells sing like oooh,
So whatcha wanna do?
Let's just run girl. /I
Chloe laughed delightedly as Derek swept her down the stairs of the chapel and back to their car. He helped her into the passenger side and then dashed to the driver's side. Moments later they sped off.
IIf we wake up and you wanna break up that's cool.
No, I won't blame you;
It was fun girl. /I
"I can't believe you!" Lauren shrieked. "Gone for THREE WEEKS! Not a word! I thought something horrible had happened to you!"
Derek growled and stepped forward and Lauren closed in on them. "And YOU!" Lauren continued, prodding him in the chest. His hackles rose, but she didn't seem to notice, "Taking my poor Chloe and—and— Do you even know what you did!"
"Of course I know what we did. We. Got. Married." Derek ground out.
"Of course you did! You don't even know what marriage means and yet you go off and corrupt my Chloe. It is dangerous out there! People are after her!"
IDon't say no, no, no, no-no;
Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah;
And we'll go, go, go, go-go.
If you're ready, like I'm ready. /I
"I will protect her." He stated stoutly
"Protect her! You are a DANGER to her!"
Derek really did growl this time, and only Chloe's hand on his arms stopped him from snapping. "I would. Never. Hurt. Chloe."
"No! You're only planting ideas in her head, taking her away from her family, endangering her life, brainwash—"
Chloe's reassurance didn't stop him this time. "CHLOE IS NOT A CHILD!" he roared. Lauren shrunk back. "She is an adult. A woman. And she is my wife—no. She is my imate/i. She can make her own decisions. She chose me."
Lauren opened her mouth to say more, but it was Chloe who stopped her.
"Enough, Aunt Lauren. Accept it or not, you can't change it. I'm a legal adult. I said yes."
ICause it's a beautiful night,
We're looking for something dumb to do.
Hey baby,
I think I wanna marry you.
Is it the look in your eyes,
Or is it this dancing juice?
Who cares baby,
I think I wanna marry you.
Just say I do,
Tell me right now baby,
Tell me right now baby.
Cause it's a beautiful night,
We're looking for something dumb to do.
Hey baby,
I think I wanna marry you.
Is it the look in your eyes,
Or is it this dancing juice?
Who cares baby,
I think I wanna marry you. /I
Chloe grinned up at Derek. He smiled back down at her hesitantly. They were up in his—their room.
"That didn't go how I'd hoped." He confessed.
"Really? It went better than I expected." Chloe teased. "You didn't turn into a wolf and eat her. She didn't attempt to kill you withsilver bullets. There wasn't any bloodshed at all, actually—" She was cut off as he picked her up and tossed her onto the bed before she could make any protest. He climbed in after her.
"I love you, Derek Souza." She said softly.
"I love you too, Chloe Souza."