/AN: Hey everyone! I'm back and hopefully I'm staying a while! :) I've been through absolute HELL the last year and now I'm focusing on getting better and back in my writing game. I have finished almost all of the editing to the first four chapters. If you've already read it, GO BACK AND READ IT AGAIN! OTHERWISE NOTHING WILL MAKE SENSE! If this is your first time reading my story, then please by all means, continue reading! A couple things: I know the first couple of paragraphs are screwy. I'm currently living without Microsoft Word and it's driving me insane. I don't know how to fix it at this moment and it will bother me until I do. But as of right now, please just try to ignore it. I promise to get it fixed as soon as I can. PS. This chapter has been edited.
Disclaimer: I don't own it. I own Marlee, Mason, and Lucy... and future characters. :)/
Kit's POV
Kit looked in the rear view mirror of the van. The seats had been pushed down to make room for six teenage Genesis Two survivors, all of which were asleep. He returned his attention to the dark forested road in front of him.
Beside him sat a beautiful blonde haired woman around his age. Marlee. The only other adult in the group besides Derek who would turn eighteen in a week. They had found Marlee when they raided the Edison Group's base. She had been working as a doctor there for a while; held there against her will. When Kit offered a safe place to stay with their group, Marlee immediately accepted.
They had been on the run for the greater part of two years, changing homes every six months. Finally, he was sure that he had the perfect solution to their problem… at least for a little while.
He looked back to the rear view mirror. Derek and Chloe were sound asleep, tangled in each other's warmth. He knew there would be no way to keep the two apart. Both of them knew about the mate rule for werewolves. Kit also knew that Derek and Chloe wouldn't be official mates until they engaged in intercourse for the first time together… and wouldn't be long until then. He could feel it. He saw the way Derek looked at Chloe. He never let her out of his sight. They always slept in the same room. Derek was like Chloe's personal bodyguard. Kit just hoped Derek was smart enough to remember to be safe when both Derek and Chloe decided decided it was time to make their mateship official. The last thing they needed was a couple of pups running around. And almost always werewolf pregnancies always resulted in more than one pup. Derek was an exception; an experiment baby. Kit shook his head. Lord help them.
Next, Kit shifted his gaze to Simon. He was curled up in a ball, snoring away, not a care in the world. Tori was beside him, face contorted in an irritated scowl. Her body was turned toward Simon. They had both fallen asleep bickering, as usual.
In the very back, curled up next to each other were the two newest members of the group, Lucy and Mason. They were seventeen year old twins. Lucy was a psychic empath, with necromancer abilities. She could feel and bend other people's emotions and use necromancer abilities to talk to the dead. Although she hasn't quite mastered those yet. Her hair was a platinum blond and her eyes a deep vibrant blue. She had become quite close with Simon, which Mason didn't seem to like very much.
Mason was a werewolf as well. Unlike other werewolves, Mason and Derek tolerated each other more than any other male werewolf, which Derek himself, found odd.
"No Mr. Souza we don't carry pink, fuzzy bunny slippers…" Kit's gaze turned to Simon who had been talking in his sleep. About what, Mr. Bae could only guess.
And then just as Kit's attention went back to the road, something in the background caught his eye. A floating book, open in the back. "Liz put the book down. You don't want your noisy presence waking Chloe. Derek would have a fit." Kit said quietly, knowing Liz could hear him. Liz, knowing Mr. Bae couldn't hear her, said nothing. But put the book down anyway.
After another twenty minutes, Kit pulled into a long, winding road, the trees getting thicker and closer together. In another fifteen minutes, they would be at a large mansion, with enough rooms for everyone to have their own. Five bathrooms and a giant kitchen fit for a professional chef. It had a dining room out of Batman and a sitting room the size of four put together and the library looked as if it belonged in Beauty and the Beast. To add to it, there were about a dozen hidden rooms and passage ways. Lastly, the gardens were immaculate and wild, but exotic and wondrous at the same time.
Finally, after two days of nonstop traveling, Kit pulled up to the house and shut off the engine. "Wakey, wakey everybody. We're here." Kit said jumping out.
Derek was the first to awake. He stretched and growled a yawn. Finally, he looked over at Chloe, kissing her forehead. "We're home." He said as she stirred awake.
She kissed his lips as a response, but was the first to break away. "Lead the way." Chloe tried to sit up, only to gasp in pain and fall back down.
"Don't you dare, Chloe Saunders. Not with that bullet in your leg. I'll carry you." Derek replied, sitting up.
"I refuse to let you carry me anywhere, since you too have recently had a bullet in your leg, Derek Souza."
"Bullet? What Bullet? I hardly feel a thing." Derek said.
"That's because of the werewolf gene, Derek. You heal ten times faster than humans do. That's why I used my last pair of gloves to remove your bullet and not Chloe's. Now suck it up. If you put any weight on that leg, I'll have to strangle you." Marlee said, noticing the others were awake now as well. "Simon, Mason, help Derek to the house. Go through the front entry way, and head to your right and into the kitchen. Turn left and straight through to the sitting area. Set him on the couch. Tori, Lucy, same for Chloe." Marlee commanded.
Finally, everyone started moving. Kit gathering everyone's bags and things, and Marlee gathering her medical supplied, while the other kids went inside. Marlee immediately followed, rushing inside the house to check over injuries.
Marlee found all six teens in the sitting room where she told them to be. Chloe was over on a medium sized love seat, with Lucy and Tori beside her on either side. Derek was across from them on a long couch, Simon resting Derek's leg on his lap. Mason was sitting on the arm rest beside Simon. Derek was sitting up, leaning on the arm rest behind him.
"Chloe, how's that Valium holding up?" Marlee asked, noticing Chloe's face beginning to break out in a sweat and her breathing was coming in short shallow gasps.
"Wearing off…" came the short answer.
Derek kept his gaze focused on Chloe. "Derek, I'll take care of you later." Marlee said. Derek nodded. "Liz, go find me a pair of pliers. Tori, Lucy, towels." As everyone went off to do their jobs, Marlee rummaged in her supplies, bringing out a rubber mat and a bottle of peroxide and iodine. Finally, Lucy and Tori came back with about twelve towels.
"Good, good." Working quickly, Marlee took the rubber mat in one hand and Chloe's injured leg in the other, swiftly placing the mat under her leg. "Mason go into the kitchen and get Chloe a glass of water." Derek emitted a low, guttural growl that said, "Don't get any ideas.' Marlee glared at Derek. "Just giving everyone a chance to help. Don't get your tail in a know." She paused for half a moment before saying, "Dammit, where is Liz with those pliers?" As if by magic, pliers plopped into Marlee's lap.
"Liz, be nice." Chloe said softly.
Marlee rolled her eyes at Liz's antics, as Mason came back with a glass of water. Pulling a bottle of Valium from her supply box, Marlee took one out and had Tori lift Chloe's head and had Chloe take that Valium. "The meds will take half an hour to take effect, but if I get that bullet out now, we'll risk infection." Chloe nodded weakly as Kit walked into the room.
Grabbing a pair of scissors, Marlee cut away at Chloe's designer jeans. Tori was mortified. "Do you know how much those cost?" Tori screeched.
"Would you rather ruin a perfectly good pair of jeans or have your best friend die of gangrene?" Marlee snapped.
Tori shut up as the doctor continued cutting away at the material. Finally, Marlee cut away enough material to expose the wound on Chloe's upper thigh. Taking the peroxide bottle, Marlee poured about a quarter of the bottle's contents onto the wound, watching it fizz. Chloe clenched her fists and made a face.
Marlee ignored the gesture and continued, going for the bottle of iodine. She unscrewed the lid and used the brush hooked onto it, to coat the pliers in the surgical substance, as well as coating the area around the bullet wound.
Next, taking the pliers, Marlee entered the wound and clasped them around the bullet, pulling gently. Chloe screamed and bit her tongue. Derek jumped up only to be held back by Simon. "Shit." Marlee released the bullet and removed the pliers from the wound. The bullet hadn't moved.
"Everyone out. Except Liz." Derek glowered. "Out, Souza!" Derek limped angrily from the room and into the dining room with the others. Once everyone had vacated the room, she told Liz to hand her the surgical scissors from her medical box. Liz placed them firmly in her hand.
"Chloe, this is going to hurt a little." Coating the surgical scissors in iodine, Marlee carefully bent down to get a closer look at the wound. "Flashlight." Liz held a flashlight over Marlee's shoulder shining it on the bullet wound. Carefully, Marlee stuck the scissors in the wound. "Relax your leg Chloe or you're going to make this a whole lot more painful." Chloe nodded, her eyes squeezed shut, relaxing her leg as best she could. "Good job, Chloe. Now hold still." Marlee slowly clipped at muscle tissue around the bullet.
"DEREK!" Chloe's hand instinctively moved down towards her leg, fingering the gash. Derek shot into the room, hurrying to Chloe's side.
"Simon! Mason! We need help in here!" Simon and Mason stumbled into the room. "Simon, binding spell, quick!" Simon performed the spell as requested. Almost immediately everything from Chloe's neck down stopped squirming. "Derek, help me move her to the table." Derek did as he was told. "Simon, hold her left hand. Mason, her right. Derek, keep her calm." Everyone took their positions.
With everyone set, Marlee continued snipping around the bullet. Chloe bit back another scream, tears pouring down her face. "You're doing great, babe. Just a little longer." Derek whispered in her ear, brushing her soaked hair back, out of her eyes. He would be there for her just like she was for him when he changed.
Finally, with all of the muscle tissue out of the way, Marlee took a towel and wiped away any excess blood around the wound and on the table. Next, Marlee took the pliers and extracted the bullet from Chloe's leg. "Almost over baby girl." Derek said, kissing her forehead.
After, Marlee took a needle and sutures and began to sew up Chloe's muscle tissue and wound. Taking a sterile patch, and surgical tape and placed it over the sewn up wound. "Simon, take this cloth and wash it down with cold water and bring it back please." Marlee said, wiping her forehead with her sleeve. "Mason, you can go now. Thank you."
"You're welcome." Mason said as he left the room as Simon came back with the wet cloth handing it to Derek, who began wiping the sweat off of Chloe's face, moving to her left side.
"Simon go down in the basement and bring up a two by four and the old pair of crutches as well." With that, Marlee took the strips of jeans she had cut earlier and set them along in a row. Simon brought back the two by four and crutches. Luckily the two by four fit perfectly to Chloe's leg.
Lifting Chloe's leg, Marlee replaced the rubber mat with the two by four and fastened the jean strips and surgical tape securely and tightly to her leg. Chloe barely noticed, the Valium finally kicking in. "Derek, set her back on the couch and let me look at your wound. Derek propped himself up on the opposite couch ripping the bottom of his pants leg off himself.
The wound was almost healed up. Nothing left but a pink scar and a sore muscle. "Looks good. Why don't you take Chloe upstairs and rest. Your room is next to your brother's."
Derek nodded and took Chloe up to what would be their new room.
Derek's POV
This was the first time he had really seen the interior of the house. All of the other times, Derek had been too distracted to notice much of anything. Now, with Chloe half asleep in his arms, he was able to notice much more.
The front of the entry way was giant. When entering from the front door, you could see in front of you a staircase with a landing at the top where the stairs forked in two; one to the left, one to the right. From the front door, the entry way to the left lead to a gigantic dining room. The one to the right to the kitchen, where Derek had come from. In front of the stairs, was a long rug leaning to the front door. Beside the stair case, was a door which Derek guessed led to the basement. He would ask Simon later.
As Derek headed up the stairs, carrying Chloe bridal style in his arms, he noticed a very old looking grandfather clock on the landing. He stopped by it to sniff the air looking for Simon. Right. Heading up the right staircase, Derek immediately saw Simon with his door open. He stopped in front of Simon's door. He had his suitcase open on the floor. Simon himself was stretched out on the bed. "Don't you think you should unpack?" Derek asked.
Simon's gaze shifted from Derek's face to Chloe to his suitcase back to Derek. "Yeah probably, but after all the drama that's been going on tonight, I figured I'd just chill for now." Derek nodded in agreement. "So is Chloe gonna be okay?" Simon asked.
"She should be. The Valium's finally kicked in. She should be out until morning." Derek said.
"That's good. Now go get some sleep."
Derek rolled his eyes. "Night, Simon."
"Later, bro."
Derek entered the room next to Simon's. Definitely their's. Both of their suitcases were next to the dresser. There was a large king sized bed big enough for the two of them. There was also a connected bathroom complete with a sunken tub. Chloe would like that.
"Oh, hi, Derek!" Chloe was coming around now, breaking Derek from his thoughts. How he wished Marlee has something other than Valium to give Chloe for pain. Valium made Chloe… little, well, not herself. "Derek, your eyes look like a doggie's!" Chloe poked his nose and laughed.
"Yes, Chloe, I know." Derek set her on the bed.
"Oh! Should I search for doggie ears?" Chloe exclaimed.
Derek tousled his hair with both hands. "No dog ears. See?" They had been through this routine once before. Marlee has said to play along until it wore off. He took off his shirt, fully intending on heading to bed.
Chloe ogled at him as if she hadn't seem him half naked before. He stripped into his boxers and flipped off the light, climbing into bed. In the darkness, he could see Chloe pout, and then her eyes brightened. "Derek, I loves you this much!" Chloe stretched her arms out as wide as they could go.
Derek raised a brow, amusement in his eyes. "Is that so?"
Chloe nodded enthusiastically. "Mhm."
She rolled over so she was on top of him and kissed his lips. "Have I ever told you I thought weremen were hot?" She asked, placing her hands on his sculpted, battle scarred chest.
"Many times." Came the simple, hesitant answer. He hoped this wasn't going where he thought it was going.
She leaned down towards his neck, kissing the soft skin behind his ear working her way down. "I really wish I could see what was underneath these restrictive things." Chloe complained. She trailed butterfly kisses down his chest to his abs, bringing her hands down to the rim of his boxers. In one swift motion, she removed them, revealing his manhood in all it's glory. His breathing hitched as it struggled for control of the situation.
'No. Not tonight. Not like this.' He thought. He refused. Not when her lust was fueled by medication. He wouldn't take advantage of her like that. His hardened manhood protested otherwise. Chloe unbuttoned her shirt, revealing a while lacy bra.
"No, Chloe." His voice came out as a hoarse whisper.
"No?" She ran her hand down his length. Derek's eyes snapped shut as he bit back a groan. "It doesn't seem like you want me to stop, Der-ek." Slowly, Chloe unclasped her bra, pert breasts spilling from under it.
In frustration, he flipped them over so he was on top, eye to eye. "Not tonight, Chloe." She kissed his neck, ignoring him. He bit his tongue, fighting back another groan, desperately fighting against the instinct to take her then and there. It pained him to do this. "Not. Now." He said, firmly.
"Why not?" Chloe pouted. "What's wrong with me? Are my boobs too small?"
Derek's eyes shone with amusement. "No. Nothing like that. They're perfect." He resisted the urge to take on in his mouth and continue their progress they'd made together. "You're perfect." He said. In fact, Chloe had grown two cup sizes in two years.
Derek saw relief flooding her eyes. "I want your first time to be special. Something you'll remember for the rest of your life. Not just a time when you were high as a kite and you let your lust consume you." He replied, having to use all of his self control to refuse himself a release.
"When?" Chloe searched his eyes, pleading, half sober from rejection.
"Soon. I promise. Now go to sleep, Chloe." He tossed her his shirt while he pulled up his boxers, all evidence of previous acts gone.
As he crawled in next to her, his leg brushed up against the make shift splint on her right leg. How she was able to move like that with that thing on, he had no idea. Ignoring it, he kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, Chloe. I love you." He said, wrapping his arms around her.
"Love you too." Chloe said, half asleep already.
x-x-x
Normal POV
Chloe woke that morning with a headache. "What happened?" She asked. Derek lay awake next to her.
"Do you want the short version or the hot, sexy, painful version?" Derek asked her, helping her sit up.
"Short please." Chloe felt her cheeks heat up as she rubbed her eyes. "And what's with the two by four strapped to my leg? And finally, where the hell are we?"
"Last night Marlee gave you another Valium and took the bullet out of your leg." Derek said.
"Yeah, I remember that part."
"She used the two by four as a makeshift splint so you didn't disrupt the healing muscle fibers by moving your leg. After the stitched dissolve, you should be able to move it." Derek explained. Chloe nodded in understanding.
"Next subject, this room is ours. In a house that is Marlee's, which we are free to roam anything, anywhere." Again, Chloe nodded. "To my favorite part, last night, under the apparently naughty influence of Marlee's medication," Derek's eyes shone brightly with amusement, "Chloe Saunders tried her hardest to seduce her boyfriend…"
Chloe looked horrified. "Oh god… please tell me…"
Derek's eyes softened. "We didn't do anything, I promise. I wouldn't let you."
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I can't believe I did that. Ugh, I feel slutty!" Chloe buried her face in her hands.
Derek took her hand. "Actually, Chloe, I thought it was kinda cute. You thought that I thought your boobs were too small." A smile played on Derek's lips.
"How is that funny?" Chloe's face was beat red.
"Because it is completely untrue. You're not a slut. And, I like your boobs." Derek had in fact felt her up in the past and knew every inch, every cure of Chloe's body and knew there was absolutely nothing wrong with her. Especially not her breasts. Derek wiped away a tear from her cheek with his thumb.
"You really like my boobs?" Chloe asked.
"Do you really need my approval to feel beautiful?" Derek asked, slightly appalled at how much Tori rubbed off on her. Chloe didn't say anything, just refocused her gaze on the floor.
Derek rolled his eyes. "Chloe Nichole Saunders, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. I love you. Please cheer up?" Derek begged.
Chloe's stomach growled. "On one condition," Chloe said. Derek raised a brow. "Carry me to breakfast?"
"Of course," Derek broke into his suitcase and grabbed a pair of flannel pants and socks, pulling them on. Next, making sure Chloe was fully dressed in his over sized t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants.
"Oh, and I need to talk to you later. It's about the gas station fiasco."
Derek gave Chloe a look. "What about it?"
"Later, okay? I don't wanna put you in a bad mood."
"Chloe, if it's important, I need to know. You know I'll keep bugging you until you tell me. So out with it." Derek replied.
"There werewolf that tried to attack me… before he changed… Derek, I could've sworn it was you in front of me. He looked, just like you."
Derek was silent for a minute, running over the images of that night in his head. He never really got a good look at the guy's face. He was too concerned about the fact that he was trying to rape his mat. "I never saw his face, Chloe."
"So you don't believe me?"
"You saw what you saw, Chloe. I believe that. I'm not saying you were wrong. With everything the Edison Group has already done, nothing would surprise me anymore. I don't know, maybe they've sent a clone after us to confuse you or some crazy shit like that. At this point, anything is possible." Derek told her.
"Clones? Really?"
Derek shrugged. "It's the best I could come up with. I honestly doubt I have a twin. I was a test tube baby, remember?"
"I remember, Derek. It's just, the image bothered me." Derek lifted Chloe up in his arms, bridal style.
"I'd never hurt you, Chloe."
"I know." Chloe smiled up at him. "Come on, I'm hungry." Together, they headed down to the kitchen.
The house in the day time looked much different from the way it did at night. At night, the mansion looked as if it were a castle, shadows everywhere. In the day time, it was like an evil spell had been lifted and light shone through every window, making the house look wondrous and enchanted.
Finally, when Derek had reached the kitchen, he sat Chloe down in a chair. Tori and Mason were sitting on the other side talking, barely noticing Derek and Chloe.
Mason's hair was a dark, tousled mess as usual. He wore a black Slipknot t-shirt and a pair of faded jeans. Tori sat beside him, her hair pulled into a side pony tail. She wore a blue tank top with a cargo jacket that ended just above the end of her rib cage and a pair of blue daisy dukes.
Marlee sat on the counter wearing a navy blue blouse and a pair of snug fitting jeans. Her hair was worn in the short, layered fashion she usually wore it in. The only difference was that she had a full coffee mug in her hand. Marlee was talking to Kit who stood beside her.
"Morning Chloe. How's your leg feeling?" Marlee asked.
"Better. It's a little stiff and sore but other than that, it's fine." Chloe replied.
"Mind if I take a look at it after breakfast?"
"Not at all." Behind her, Derek grunted. All eyes turned to him. He paused, feeling eyes boring into his back.
"There's no food." He responded, much more antisocial now that he was surrounded by people.
Kit tossed him and Chloe a banana. "Marlee plans on going shopping after checking up on Chloe." Kit said, earning a glare from the shaman.
"Kit, you're a fucking crazy if you think I know how to grocery shop past canned foods and ramen noodles." A vein pulsed in Marlee's forehead.
"Everyone must learn sometime!" Kit exclaimed, a cheesy grin on his face.
"So where's Simon?" Chloe asked. At that moment a disheveled, shirtless Simon came into the room, collapsing into a seat beside Chloe.
"That's the last thing I wanted to see in the morning. My brother half dressed burned into my brain forever. Thanks. My life is ruined." Tori said.
"Glad I could be of service." Simon mumbled.
"Where's my sister?" Mason asked.
"Taking a shower, I guess. How would I know?" Simon replied.
"Because I know you and my sister are…" Mason paused.
"Dating and possibly having sex behind your back?" Simon countered.
Mason jumped up from his seat prepared to strangle Simon, when he was suddenly restrained by a strong pair of arms. "Mind if I speak to you outside?" Derek growled, so only Mason could hear.
Both followed each other to the front lawn. "Well let's take that as our queue to go check your leg." Marlee said, taking Chloe into the other room, Kit following close behind.
Derek's POV
"What do you want to talk to me about?" Mason asked, his hazel eyes blazing.
"You have no idea what's going on here do you?" I replied.
"Enlighten me."
"You're a young werewolf. I understand that. I've been there. You haven't completed the change and your hormones are raging more than a regular teenager's." I paused, letting this sink in. Surprisingly, Mason said nothing, just fumed in silence.
"You're bigger than everyone else, which naturally makes you believe you're not only smarter but older than you really are as well; which can make you irrational and reckless." My gaze softened. "But at the same time, you're scared. If you're not careful, you'll break something or hurt someone. There are so many physical changes going on in your body at once that your brain can't keep up and you often times don't know your own strength." I shifted my weight, remembering what I felt in the months leading up to my first shift. "Then on the other hand, you like the power. You let yourself for a split second enjoy the fact that you have the ability to protect your loved ones. And then you imagine yourself hurting those you care about."
Mason opened his mouth to reply, but I wasn't done. "The emotional roller coaster you're on becomes too much and you lash out and become angry with yourself for hurting someone close to you. Then you finally start to change again. You feel hopeless, defenseless… a monster. This makes you more afraid because not only do you feel like your physical strength means nothing, but because you think, 'How am I supposed to defend my family if I can't defend myself?' I know how stressful it can be, but you need to learn to control it, or your anger will consume you. That's where I can help you; if you'll learn to let people in."
"Who're you to talk? You're like a human ice cube. And how can you be so sure you know we're going through the same thing? Everyone's different. Mason said, his anger slightly diminishing.
"I don't have much to say in mixed company. But things get rather awkward if you have nothing to say in groups of two. And have you looked in a mirror lately?" I tried to explain without sounding like a smart ass.
"Not closely, no."
I rolled my eyes. "What color is your hair?" Mason looked at me like I'd grown a second head.
"Where are you going with this?"
"Just answer the question."
"Black."
"And your eyes?"
"Hazel." Mason paused for a minute. "Sort of. What does this have to do with anything?"
I hesitated. "A long time ago… when I was a toddler, my dad, Kit, mentioned to a colleague that my mother was pregnant again with twins. This was before he left the Edison Group. That was sixteen years ago. Nine months later, someone had told him my mother had died in childbirth, after giving birth to a healthy set of twins… a boy and a girl on the date of January fifth. Tell me, when is yours and Lucy's birthdays?"
"So what are you saying? That Lucy and I are your long lost siblings?" Mason asked.
"There's only one way to find out." I replied. We exchanged looks. "Oh and at some point today, apologize to Simon for being so moody. He'll get it."
Mason glared, slightly annoyed at being over powered. "Fine."
"Also, if you think you may come across wrong or not in the way you intended, back track. Fix it. But be subtle."
"Okay. Whatever you say, master Obi Wan." Mason replied. I gave him a questioning look. "Star Wars?" No change. "Yoda? Lightsabers? Jabba the Hut?"
"I grew up in an institution. I have no idea what you're talking about."
"I grew up in an orphanage and I still know who Darth Vader is." Mason began walking back to the house. I rolled my eyes.
Marlee's POV
With some help, I had gotten Chloe to lay like she had the night before while taking off the makeshift splint. Quickly, I removed the sterile cloth, noticing the lack of blood on the pad. But that wasn't the most shocking part of the wound. All that was left of the incision from the night before was a thin pink line in place of the angry, red stitches. I paused and stared for a minute before coming back to reality. "Kit…"
I felt Kit move closer. "Do you know what this means?" Kit said nothing, only giving me a meaningful look.
"What's going on? Is there something wrong?" Chloe asked.
"No, nothing. It just healed a little more quickly than we would have expected." I said.
"You're free to go for now, Chloe." Kit said. "I need to speak with Marlee alone for a moment." Chloe nodded, leaving the room, closing the door behind her.
"It's going to have to happen sooner than we thought." Kit said, mumbling under his breath. It was a fact he wasn't happy about.
"I know. It's not fair. They're so young." I pushed back the tears in my eyes.
"Marlee… what did you see when you touched that scar?"
"There are two possible futures for Derek and Chloe. If I am correct, Chloe awoke with a migraine this morning. This is due to the fact that Derek's mating imprint with Chloe is poisoning her. It will only get worse from here. If Derek and Chloe don't… consummate their mate bond within the next month, Chloe will die. It is the only antidote to the reacting chemicals in Chloe's body." I explained.
Kit sighed. "I guess it was going to happen sometime. It's better than Chloe dying." He still didn't look happy with the arrangement.
"I wasn't finished. I saw three possible futures for them. The first was very bold and clear. If Derek and Chloe complete their mate bond, Chloe will become pregnant, with twins. I heard howls and babies crying and I saw vague flashes of two beautiful infants. But the second one was a bit blurry… I heard speeding cars and there were flashes of a funeral. And Derek he was…" I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. "He offed himself." I forced the words out quickly and bluntly. Kit's gaze darkened. I continued. "The third image was much blurrier than the second. Derek refused to complete the mate bond and when Chloe died, so did Derek of natural causes… more or less."
I waiting for Kit to reply, but he remained silent. "I can't make sense of it all. Chloe is still so young and carefree. And Derek is too timid and careful. I don't believe they are ready to be parents. But I don't want Chloe and Derek to die either. Hell, I don't even know what the second vision was about. I'm so confused, Kit. What should we tell them?"
Kit shrugged, wiping a hand down his face. "I don't know."
"I know one thing." Kit raised his gaze to face me. "Derek won't make love to Chloe unless he knows she's emotionally ready. But if he doesn't Chloe dies and Derek will die soon after of a broken heart."
Kit slammed his hand on the door. "That doesn't mean that those are the only possible futures for them. You said the future is always changing. So this doesn't mean we need to choose between death and premature parenthood."
"Kit, the clearer the visions are, the more possible the reality. Right now, I'm not going to worry about the second vision. I'll keep it in mind, and continue mulling it over, but for now we need to focus on the situation at hand." Kit motioned for me to continue. "The image of Chloe and Derek's children was as clear to me as if they were right in front of me. Moving on to the third vision, the one of Chloe dying of mate bond poisoning. It wasn't very clear. It was a bunch of jumbled images, but it made enough sense for me to realize that it's still a possibility. It's obvious to me that there are two options. Either Chloe and Derek die, or they become parents. Your choice." I replied, shoving down the anger building in my chest. "And let's not forget the other vision. It looked a lot like a hit and run. Chloe was declared dead on scene. That's the one where—" Kit's glare stopped me from going further. "I'll keep scrying for more information on that one. It was the next clearest after the vision of Chloe's impending pregnancy."
Again, I paused waiting for a response from Kit. I sighed. "Are you going to respond in at all? I need feedback on this."
"Do you think I want to condemn them to this? Do you think this is the life I would've chosen for my son?"
"You have your options. You decide. The sooner they know the better." I walked past him, fed up with his bullshit.
I felt Kit grab my hand. His hold was firm, but gentle. "If parenthood is the only option they have, then I suppose that's the only we go with. But isn't it possible for them to use contraceptives?"
"Birth control isn't an option. It takes almost a month for it to officially kick in for one, and for another the werewolf venom dissolves it before it can stay in the system long enough for it to work anyway. There's always condoms. But let's face it: Derek's big physically. I highly doubt his parts are any diff—"
"Okay, that's—"
"Don't be immature."
"I'm not being immature. It's just hard to think of my kid being sexually active…"
I smiled. "All I'm saying is that werewolf activity can be rough. And condoms are only seventy percent effective at preventing pregnancy in normal humans. I'd say if we factor in Derek's stats that brings the effectiveness down to about fifty percent. Forty if you factor in the werewolf venom."
Kit considered that. "I keep forgetting how potent werewolf venom is. But we still have to try for that forty percent."
"I agree. But we must only tell them about Chloe's death. That's enough for Derek to want to make it happen. If a person knows too much about their future, they die. They must not know about their future children." I warned. "I'll make sure Lucy knows this as well. That's probably why she hasn't gotten up yet; because of the vision."
Kit nodded. "I'll handle telling them. You go do whatever it is you do."
Chloe's POV
I sat down on the bed, looking myself over in the mirror. The blond of my roots were starting to become noticeable. I really wanted to dye it red again, but Derek was right. It was too noticeable. Maybe one day, we'd be safe enough to try the red out again. But until then, I needed to pick up a bottle of brown dye to cover the blond. After shrugging on Tori's bejeweled skull t-shirt and my favorite pair of jeans, I checked my reflection again.
Did I really have enough courage to try and seduce Derek? I couldn't believe it… but Derek doesn't lie.
A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. "Come in." I said, as kid entered the room.
"Chloe I need to speak with you and Derek. It's important. Meet me in the front entry way in an hour." I nodded.
Marlee's POV
"Okay, everyone ready?" I asked. We were taking a "field trip" into town, leaving Derek and Chloe behind. I held a shopping list in hand while Simon, Mason, Tori and Lucy gathered behind me.
Simon turned to Lucy. "You've been quiet all day. What's going on?"
Lucy turned her gaze to the ground. "I'm afraid it's not my secret to tell. Sorry, Simon." Lucy walked away from Simon and met me as I was climbing into the driver's seat. "Is it true? Is Chloe…" she dropped her voice to a whisper, "…pregnant?"
I sighed and hopped out of the drivers seat. I motioned for Lucy to follow me, as I led away from the group, out of hearing range. I turned to her. "She's not pregnant yet. But there's a good possibility that we could have some infants on our hands with in the next year." I explained.
"Why? Why would they take that chance?" Lucy looked frustrated.
"If they don't Chloe dies. Derek too. That's all I can say for now Lucy. I'll tell you the rest of the situation later, but for now you can't say anything — to anyone." I shouldn't have even said anything to her.
"I understand. I won't say anything." Her face softened. "Thanks for telling me."
I nodded and we headed back to the van.
Normal POV
Chloe sat on the couch beside Derek. "So what do you think this is all about?" Chloe asked him, when they came down to the front entryway an hour later. Derek shrugged a response. "What did you do?"
"What? I didn't do anything…" Derek replied.
Suddenly, Kit cam into the room. "On the contrary Derek, if what we're assuming is correct, you may have to do something you don't want to do." Kit took a seat across from them.
Derek's eyes darkened. "What are you talking about?" Kit cast his eyes downward and hesitated. "Dad. What is going on?" Derek asked more firmly this time.
"We think… well, Marlee thinks that your mating imprint is poisoning Chloe."
Derek's expression changed to one of confusion and anger. "What proof do you have?"
"Chloe's bullet wound should have taken at least a month or so to completely heal. Instead, it's completely healed except for a small scar and a sore muscle. Marlee thinks that because of the mating imprint you share with Chloe, the lycanthropy virus is poisoning her, causing her to become more like a werewolf. Getting to the point, within the time span of a month, if this continues, Chloe will die." Kit paused to let this sink in.
"A month?" Derek stood to his feet. Chloe sat frozen to her seat as she looked at Kit, an expression of shock on her face. Kit nodded. "Shouldn't the lycanthropy virus just make her a werewolf?"
"For a normal human, yes. But Marlee thinks because Chloe is a supernatural, it alters the effect. She also believes that your viral blood has been tampered with in the experiment."
Derek sat down next to Chloe, pinching the bridge of his nose. He looked up when he noticed Chloe shaking next to him. "Chloe? It's gonna be okay. I promise. I'm not gonna let you die on me." Slowly, Chloe turned her head to look at Derek and nodded.
"However, there is a possible antidote to the venomous lycanthropy virus coursing through Chloe's veins." Kit paused again.
"I will do anything to save her." Derek replied.
"If our theory is correct, to stop the venom's destructive property, you must have sex together to complete the mating imprint." Kit had the ghost of a smile on his face. Chloe snapped out of her trance like state, upon hearing what Kit had to say. Derek noticed the smile on Kit's face and glared at him with a look that could kill.
"Is this some sort of sick joke?" Derek asked.
"I'm afraid not."
"I won't do it. Chloe isn't ready and I'm not going to push her." Derek said, standing to leave.
"Then she dies, Derek." Kit said sternly, all evidence of humor gone from his face.
"I'm sitting right here." Chloe stood. Everyone looked at her.
"Chloe what do you want to do?"
"If it'll save my life, I'll do it." She said. "My only worry is risk of pregnancy." Chloe had a thoughtful frown on her face.
"Pregnancy? Why would you be worried about that?" Kit stumbled over his words and nervously shifted his weight. Derek noticed.
"Because unprotected sex often leads to an infant…" Chloe gave Kit a weird look.
"Ah, yes, of course. Kay. Well, that takes care of that." Kit thew Derek a box. "Have fun!" he left for the basement.
Derek looked at the box: condoms. He inwardly face palmed. There was no way an adult werewolf could use these, no matter what brand they were.
"Did that really just happen?" Chloe asked, dumbfounded. Derek nodded. "Greeaat…"
/AN: Okay so just as before, constructive critisizm is accepted. NO FLAMES please. And yes, I know I spelled critisizm wrong. I'm writing this at 2 am and frankly, I don't care right now. :) Please leave a review! - Kit/