I'll be switching to Chloe's POV soon (even though I generally hate multiple POVs… don't ask why), but not for good. I like seeing things in derek's pov too much.. as I'm sure you all do. So, yeah. Second chapter.

Again, I do not own the Darkest Powers. That genius named Kelley Armstrong does.

DPOV

About ten minutes later, I found myself helping Lauren cook pasta in the kitchen (where else would we cook?) and she put me in charge of the noodles.

"You're watching that pot like it might explode," she said, stirring the sauce.

I looked up. "Oh, uh, yeah . . ." Truthfully I just didn't have anything to say. "Don't want to ruin it."

She laughed. "You would."

I turned the boiling noodles over with a wooden spoon.

"What's your favorite subject in school?" she asked.

I frowned.

"Sorry for trying to make small-talk. I know you're some kind of a genius. So . . .?"

"Math," I grunted.

"Wow. Don't think I've ever heard a kid say that." She paused. "Not that you're a kid. A teenager."

I tried not to grimace.

"Right. Well."

I nodded and we dove into silence. For some time now, Lauren has tried to talk to me. Get to know me better. I think she trusts I won't kill her or her niece in their sleep anymore. For a while there I thought she just hated my guts. But I guess she's finally coming around. That's why I'm here now, trying to make that go faster.

She called everyone down for dinner. I served noodles on their plates first, then Lauren poured sauce over them. Simon grinned at me, as if to say: "Sucks to be you." I raised my eyebrows. Tori gave a sing-song thanks, which I was about to return, but I didn't think anyone would want to hear my singing voice.

Chloe took her plate and said in a low voice, "I should probably kiss the cook, now, huh?"

I nodded, then waited. But she ran up to Lauren and kissed her cheek. "Thanks so much!"

Lauren laughed and said it was nothing, that I had helped. I gave Chloe a look. She smirked and sat down. When all of us were served, we sat at the table and ate. Everyone was talking and joking, loud for my good hearing. I tried to tune them all out.

Under the table, Chloe gripped my knee. I jumped and she snickered. "Whose jumpy now?"

For payback, I squeezed her thigh. She took a bite of pasta, then hooked her foot behind mine. I moved my hand up her thigh. She inhaled sharply, so quietly that even I barely heard. I bit back a grin.

Chloe glared at me when I moved even farther up her thigh. She kicked my foot and I let out an "Ow!" and a laugh.

Everyone looked at us. We froze.

"Everything okay?" Dad asked, glancing at me.

"Perfect," Chloe said. "Right Derek?"

"Yeah," I agreed, still squeezing her leg. "Fantastic."

They looked at us suspiciously, but went back to dinner.

...

Later, after we ate, Tori, Simon, Chloe and I were all sitting in the living room, watching some that, to put it nicely, sucked.

Tori groaned at their latest joke. "Oh my god, why is this so stupid?"

"You're the one who said we should watch it," Simon offered.

"I said 'What about this? There's nothing else on.' and all of you agreed." She flopped back onto the carpet, then looked up at me and Chloe.

"Your staring is creepy, you know," Chloe said.

"I'm just seeing how long it takes before you two crack."

"Before we crack?" I asked.

"You know. Before you can't hold it in anymore and start snogging each other's face off."

Chloe laughed.

"Snogging?" Simon asked.

"I'm familiar with a couple British-isms." When Simon still looked lost, she enlightened him with: "It means making out."

He nodded. "Oh yeah. Right."

Chloe was still smiling. "You know, I think I am starting to crack." She leaned against me and I think I began to smile, too. "I can't take it anymore, Derek. Snog my face off. Come on." She hopped into my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me down to meet her.

She pressed her mouth to mine for only a few seconds before Tori said, "Okay, okay! You can stop with that now!"

She pulled away and I growled, biting her nose and she gave a girly giggle.

Simon and Tori groaned. "It's so sweet I could barf." Simon made a gagging noise while Tori rolled her eyes at him.

After that, we were all so tired that we trudged upstairs to our rooms. I barely tugged off my T-shirt before I fell into bed, exhausted and glad that I didn't have to sleep on the road again. I'd done too much of that and it always gave me a killer head-ache. I settled down and sighed, then shifted, trying to get comfortable. Then turned over again.

"Dude, please stop," Simon groaned from the other side of the room.

I mumbled an apology and shifted for the last time, folding the pillow under my head and closed my eyes. I fell asleep soon after that.

Too bad I wouldn't be sleeping for long.

Ooh action coming up in the next chapter! Haha. Anyway, yeah, that was the last of the intro chapters. Thank god. It's kind of boring writing something like that.

Anyway, R&R please!

Cahsee out.