A/N: Wah.. it's been so long since I wrote! I had this idea poking in my head for a while, wanting to get out and to be written, so here it is! I can't promise that I'll update really quick since I've been going through a major writer's block for nearly the past two years, but I'll try my best. This story won't be too lengthy, so it should be less than ten chapters. Anyway, hope y'all enjoy my first chapter!

Disclaimer: I'd really really really love to claim Darkest Powers as my work (especially Derek -grins-) BUT I'm not Kelley, so no can do I guess.

Fire and Ice

A Darkest Powers Story

Chapter 1: Chloe I

It's been more than half a year since I first ended up at Lyle House. During that time, I learned what I was and discovered that there was a whole other world than just the human world. Well, technically, they're the same world, residing on dear planet Earth, but spell-casters, half-demons, shape-shifters and who-knows-what-else walk amongst humans. But for the most part, they don't know that. I also learned that myself and a lot of other young supernaturals out there were genetically modified by the Edison Group. While some of the projects were successful, there were a lot of failures as well. Turns out that I was also part of those failures. These so-called failures seemed to have a lot more power in their abilities, but for many of these cases, their powers were too strong and so, the Edison Group made it their mission to re-habilitate us or to take the uglier route: to exterminate us. My roommate back at Lyle House, Liz, was killed because her powers seemed uncontrollable. And so, we were on the run. However, back in spring, Simon, Tori and I were captured and taken back to the Edison Group. With some exterior help and Derek, we were able to pull a faint victory over the Edison Group before fleeing from the Cabals who organized the Edison Group. But enough of that, let's get on with the present...

I blew warm air into my frozen numb hands as I walked home from school. It was the third week of December and the weather dropped in temperature everyday. I was all bundled up in warm clothing, but I couldn't help but feel the lack of warmth that Derek provided when we walked home together after school. These past two weeks, he was busy tutoring a girl everyday after school, so I walked home with Tori and Simon.

"I'm so glad that winter break is here," Simon piped up cheerfully.

"Um, yeah. Especially with all of those teachers ganging up on us this past week with their endless tests and quizzes. I definitely need a vacation," Tori added. "It was nice of Dad and your aunt to take us skiing for the next three days, Chloe,"

I nodded absent-mindedly as our boots crunched on the snow underfoot. Aunt Lauren and Mr. Bae had given us an early Christmas present, which was a three-day, two-night ski trip at the ski resort. We would be going there tomorrow and leaving in the evening on the third day. "Yeah," I murmured, barely paying attention to their conversation.

Simon's eyes drifted over to my face as his eyes were clouded with concern. "You feeling okay? I mean, you've been kinda down," he said.

Tori rolled her eyes at him. "Finally noticed, haven't you? Took you long enough. She's been 'kinda down' for the past two weeks," she said, cutting off my protests. "It's Derek, isn't it?"

I sighed. "It's no big deal really," I replied back. "He's busy,"

Tori exchanged a quick look with Simon as we turned around the corner onto our block. "When did he start being Mr. Cooperative anyway? I mean, the guy can hardly sit long enough in a classroom, not to even mentioning tutoring someone. And why Amelia Jackson? Considering how sad it is that all of the guys in our school drool after her," she snorted with disgust.

"Hey! She's cute, okay? Amelia's smart too, just that she has some problems with math, which is why she asked Derek to-," Simon said defensively before being cut off by Tori.

"-Which is even weirder that Derek said 'yes'. Knowing the guy for practically a year now, Derek hates being around others he doesn't know well, any more than necessary,"

"Well, it is his decision. I don't see why it's any of your business," Simon said sharply as we climbed the stairs to our front porch.

Tori sputtered as she opened her mouth to throw a witty comeback. I held up my hands. "Okay stop. We're here. Now let's go in before I catch hypothermia out here listening to you two bicker with each other," I said rolling my eyes and unlocked the front door.

The warmth of our house welcomed us as we quickly shut the door against the icy wind behind us. Mr. Bae called a greeting from the office and we answered back as we shrugged out of our frosty clothing, and thumped snow off of our boots. To the side, the living room was warm and toasty, with a fire blazing brightly in the fireplace. Normally after school, I would bring my books to the living room and make myself a steaming mug of hot chocolate before curling up beside the fireplace. However, today, I felt quite drained and decided to head on upstairs to my room instead.

Our house was a Victorian house that had three levels. The first level consisted of the living room with an attached office, a kitchen, a dining room and a small bathroom. On the second level was the guys' rooms, Tori's and mine. There was also a bathroom there. Opening up the closet at the end of the hallway led up to the two remaining bedrooms, which belonged to Mr. Bae and Aunt Lauren. They didn't have a bathroom on their level, so they mainly used the one on the first floor.

I opened the door to my room, dumped my stuff on the floor and collapsed onto my bed. I moaned at the comfort that the bed gave to my aching body and laid on my back as I looked around my room. Movie magazine cut outs were pasted all around my room, but I left one wall free for photos of my family and the adventures that I shared with Tori and the guys. This included all of us standing together in front of the new house we moved into, when we went to the beach, when Tori and Simon had a paint-fight, when I tried baking cake and failed miserably and Tori's birthday, which her face showed her delight at receiving the most recent computer programming software from us. But the picture that I liked the most was the one where Derek kissed me whole heartedly after we fled the Edison Group's compound. Normally, Derek would have noticed someone's unwelcome presence but at that moment, I was pleased to say that he was rather preoccupied and failed to see Simon creeping up on us. It wasn't until the disposable camera clicked did we realize that the moment was caught on film. I grinned at the memory of Simon booking it for dear life as Derek chased him for the camera.

"You looking at that photo again?" a voice asked as it brought me out of my thoughts.

I looked up to see Tori entering my room and shutting the door behind her. "Really, Derek looks like he's eating your face," Tori commented and made a face while inspecting the photo on a closer look.

I felt the heat rise in my cheeks at the memory of Derek's kiss. He was an amazing kisser. Not that I had a lot of experience to judge. But to me, I felt as though time was suspended for that moment. All I could think about was kissing him and it felt that that was all he could think about as well. The feel of his lips pressed against mine...

Suddenly a snap of fingers appeared in front of my eyes, surprising me. "Welcome back, space cadet. Did you have a nice trip?" Tori asked as she rolled her eyes at me.

I rubbed my face with two hands to clear any previous thoughts. I had forgotten for a moment that Tori was here. I cleared my throat. "What's up?" I asked as I sat up.

Tori made herself right at home in my room as she sat on my chair. "Let's get to the point: You hate the fact that Derek's hardly ever here," she said bluntly.

I blinked. Sure I disliked the idea of barely seeing Derek before he crashes for the night, but were my emotions so strong that I hated it? I mean, we were both individuals who have different lives. As long as he's safe, I shouldn't butt in too much with his life; everyone needs their privacy. I missed being near him and holding hands as we walked home together, but that was no reason to get mad at the whole situation. "I-i don't hate that Derek's busy enough that I barely get to see him, but-" I started.

"-but you wish that he'd free up some time to be with you, right?" Tori cut in. "Don't give me that look, Chloe Saunders. You know it's true, as much as you don't want to admit it. You just don't want to be one of those annoying, clingy bitches, right?"

I averted my eyes as I gave a small nod. Though I lacked in the romantical field, I knew enough from classmates that demanding constantly to know your boyfriend's activities and whereabouts usually resulted in breakups. "However, if it bothers you, just let him know. Tell the guy to haul his wolfie ass over here so you guys can have some nauseating cute moments," Tori suggested as she lept off the bed and onto her feet. "He'll be home in 30 minutes. In the meanwhile, I want your feedback on the clothes I'm bringing to the resort,"

I smiled as I got off the bed. Tori has definitely gone a long way from the girl I first met in Lyle House. When I first met her, I couldn't have imagined getting advice from her, but now, Tori's one of my closest friends. Sure, she'd catch Derek and me and roll her eyes, but she supports us and helps me out when I feel down. Grateful for her company, I headed next door to help her choose her articles of clothing.

Later...

Lying on my bed, I peered at the clock. It was early evening and nearly time for dinner. Aunt Lauren came home a while ago and was down in the kitchen preparing dinner with Mr. Bae. I reached over to grab my cell phone from my bedside table and sat up. Derek was supposed to be finished with his tutorial sessions at least half an hour ago. What was keeping him? It wasn't like him to be late, especially not with dinner. Did he get into trouble? A frown crossed my face as I pondered over this possibility. At our new school, Derek still wasn't Mr. Social, but he did have a few friends. Occasionally, one of the jerks at school would try to get in his face, but Derek doesn't fall for it and chooses to ignore them instead. Unable to get a response from him, the jerks would usually leave him alone afterwards. However, I still felt worried and decided to phone him.

I pressed the speed dial for Derek's phone and waited as the phone rang.I counted the number of times the phone rang before it was picked up. "Hey D-"

"-Hello?" I halted mid-sentence as a feminine mezzo-soprano voice answered instead of Derek's deep rumble.

"H-hi, is D-derek around?" I stuttered, caught off guard.

A small musical laugh tingled on the other end. "You're Chloe, right? I bet I caught you off guard there. It's Amelia Jackson. Derek's a little busy at the moment, but is there something you want me to pass along?"

I swallowed. "Um y-yeah, okay. Can you tell him that dinner's ready soon?" I asked lamely.

Another small tingly laugh. "Sure I'll tell him. We're just about done anyway," Amelia replied. "You're really lucky to have Derek; he's a really sweet guy underneath that rocky exterior. I wish I had a boyfriend like him. Anyway, gotta go. See you around,"

And with that, she hung up. I lowered my cell phone from my ear, the dead line tone buzzing from the disconnected call. Judging from the amount of background noise, it didn't seem as though they were in the school's library. More like the mall, with the booming music from nearby shops. But what were they doing there? Like Tori mentioned earlier, Derek doesn't like being around others more than necessary. Obviously the tutorial session ended, but why was he at the mall, with Amelia Jackson of all people? She was a tall brunette in Simon's and Derek's grade who hung out with the popular kids in school. Amelia was really pretty with a slim but curvy figure that most girls would dream for. Though she is very attractive, Amelia also carried the reputation of not judging others by how they look, which added to her popularity. It also widely known that Amelia and her college boyfriend broke up a few months ago and ever since, most of the guys in and out of school wanted to date her.

An uncomfortable load fell into the pit of my stomach. What did she mean with her last lines? 'I wish I had a boyfriend like him'? Maybe she missed her ex? Or.. could it possibly be that she li- "Kids, dinner!" Mr. Bae's voice rang up the stairs.

I shook my head as I cleared out these foolish thoughts and bounced off my bed, returning my cell to its proper place. Then I headed downstairs to the dining room. Dinner was spaghetti and meatballs, which was a large favorite. Derek's favorite too, though he wasn't with us at the moment. "I wonder what's keeping Derek," Mr. Bae murmured as he took a bite of spaghetti.

I looked down into my plate of half-eaten food as I felt Tori's heavy gaze upon me. "Beats me," Simon said with a shrug. "Probably helping Amelia with the last set of problems,"

Mr. Bae took this as an answer and Tori changed the subject with, "I've done a little skiing before, but I can't wait for tomorrow; it's going to be epic,"

Mr. Bae smiled at her. "Yes, this is the first time that we've all gone together. It will be lots of fun," he replied.

"Heck yeah. Just wait 'til you see me on the slopes, Tori. I can zip off the black diamond slopes like a pro," Simon added as he swallowed his meatball remains.

Tori lowered her glass as she raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that a challenge I hear? Well then, we shall see who's the real pro," she said confidently and they continued to challenge each other.

I lowered my fork onto my half-eaten plate of food; I wasn't feeling very hungry. Aunt Lauren looked over in concern. "Is everything alright, Chloe?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, everything's good. I'm just not very hungry tonight. It must be the excitement for tomorrow," I said, forcing a smile. "Anyway, I still haven't finished packing, so I better excuse myself to do that now,"

I scraped off the remains of my plate before setting it in the sink and heading up the stairs. As I reached the room, I heard the front door opening and closing. "I'm back," a low voice rumbled from below.

"Welcome home, buddy. You're awfully late tonight," Mr. Bae commented from the dining room.

I heard the whispers of clothing as Derek took off his winter jacket and hung it up. "Yeah, we just finished going over a hard problem that was on the test that she had yesterday," Derek answered as he moved towards the dining room.

Quietly, I slipped into the room and shut the door behind me, leaning on the now-closed door. Derek had lied about being with Amelia at the mall. Just what was going on?

A/N: Huzzah! Finished the first chapter.. which took a lot longer than it should have been. Usually I prefer to write a lot more, but I guess after losing the touch of writing often, a few hundred less than three thousand seemed to take a really long time to write! Anyway, hope you liked this chapter and please review with your opinions!