Author's Note: Hey guys! My author's notes have been incredibly long lately, so I'm just gunna talk about the chapter briefly and then I'll get right into it.

Last chapter was pretty fun to write. I hope you all enjoyed the little Chloe & Derek moment (I know I did.) And for those of you who asked, those weird people talking in the background were ghosts. I thought they were kinda funny, didn't you? :) Anyways, I'm really excited about today's chapter, because (YAY!) the gang is finally together again. I'm gunna be jumping POVs a lot today, because I want to be able to show where everyone's head is at during this chapter.

Question #1: Has anyone read Kelley's e-serial about Simon and Derek's back-story? I just started reading it today, and it's amazing! If you wanna know where to find it, just message me and I'll send you the link.

Question #2: Who do you guys think should play Chloe, Derek, Simon, and Tori if there's ever a movie made? (Btw, does anyone know if there is gunna be a movie made? Has it been announced?)

Disclaimer:

Me: Guys, I think it's time I let you out. I'm really sorry about all this. I understand now that I don't own Darkest Powers.

Tori: Finally!

Simon: Yeah!

Me: *Holding cell door open*

Go head guys!

*Everyone starts making their way towards the door*

Me: *Slams the door*

Psyche! I can't believe you fell for that again!

Derek: We kinda figured you'd stop after 27 tries…

Expectations
Part I

Derek POV

The pain was excruciating, and I prayed today would be the last time I would ever have to endure this kind of torture. Another convulsion shook me and my back arched again, and I wondered how it could be physically possible for someone to be in so much pain and not be dead. It isn't. My subconscious whispered to me. But then again, you're not exactly the poster boy for 'physically possible', are you? I heard a crack and howled again as I felt my spine rearranging itself inside my body. This hell couldn't last much longer, could it?

I groaned, and Chloe reached down and rubbed my shoulder soothingly. "It's all right, you're doing great," she whispered. I was glad she was there with me, but at the same time, I feared for her safety. What if I completed the Change tonight? What would I become? Would I remember who she was? Who I was? Or, would my animal instincts take over? Would I hurt her...? Images of Chloe injured and near death filled my mind, and my stomach heaved as I thought about her lying dead and unmoving on the forest floor…

No! Something inside me reassured me she'd be all right. You'd never hurt her. But how could I be sure? I couldn't, which meant she needed to leave if it got bad. "Chloe," I chocked out. "If it starts to seem like I might finish this, you-"

"I'm not leaving Derek, no matter what." I shook my head furiously, trying to get her to co-operate, but there was finality in her eyes that I was almost afraid to dispute. She brushed my hair back from my forehead, and I almost forgot the pain for a few minutes.

Almost being the operative word here.

I could feel my ears moving up my scalp and my face elongating as the hours dragged by. Please, let this be over soon.

Nothing happened for a while after that, and I was hoping that it was over. I was so tired, and my arms were screaming at me, telling me they could no longer support my weight. "I think it's over now," she whispered, relief saturating her voice. My back arched again as my body attempted to reverse the process, causing the bones to crack and pop. I could also feel my fingers resorting to their original forms: the claws shortening and my fingers sprouting out again. The pain was so intense that I almost didn't notice the new scents wafting through the air. One of them was familiar, and the other I would know anywhere- Simon. I opened my mouth to tell Chloe, but before I could say a word, I was vomiting again. (A/N: Lovely, yes, I know.)

Simon POV

I knew it was my brother out there because I had cast the tracking spell my Dad had taught me. I had gotten better at that sort of thing in the last couple of weeks, but I didn't want Tori to know how good I had gotten yet. Plus, she'd probably blackmail me into teaching her the spell, which I really didn't want to do. Ever.

I knew it was Derek, and judging by the howls coming from the forest, it sounded like he was in a lot of pain. Deep down, I hoped that Chloe was with him to ease some of it. She was the only one who had ever been with him during a partial-Change, and I knew it made him feel better to have her there. I felt a twang of guilt, remembering all the times I hadn't been there for my brother when he needed me, all because I had been too disgusted to help him. How many times had he watched me do my needles, just to make sure I was all right?

"What are you thinking about so hard? You look like you're gunna bust an artery!" I flinched at the sound of Tori's voice as it brought me back to the forest. I turned to glare at her, and she had an amused look on her face. I returned my gaze to the forest in front of me, trying to keep myself from running into any trees. "Do you see that?" she asked. "It looks like a fire!"

I followed her as she increased her pace and ran towards the light. A few minutes later, we broke through the trees and found ourselves in a clearing. Someone has set up a tent, and the fire we had seen before was crackling merrily. A few feet behind the fire was Chloe, seated on some kind of rock with her arm out in front of her. But where was Derek…?

Once we were closer, I realized what Chloe's hand was resting on. It looked like a huge dog, but there was definitely something Derek-ish about that thing. It had the same green eyes, the same face, and I could see his arms underneath all the hair. I knew it was him, but it was kinda strange seeing my brother in his almost-canine form.

Tori must've gotten over the shook before I did- or maybe she hadn't noticed yet? Either way, Tori had decided to make her presence known. "Chloe!" she shrieked. The sound made me want to plug my ears as I watched Chloe's head whip around to face us. She seemed confused for a while, but once we stepped into the light given off by the fire, her frown quickly became a smile.

"Tori! Simon!" She leaned down to whisper something to Derek before looking over at Tori and I. "Umm, you guys might want to…stay back for a while. I'm not sure if this is something you'd want to see. But," she gestured to the ground, "feel free to make yourselves at home." She laughed, but it didn't reach her eyes… I guess she's worried about Derek.

I looked over at my brother. In those short minutes, his snout had disappeared and most of the hair on his body had receded. "Hey bro, you- you need anything?" I asked uncertainly.

He turned his head to face me. "No, I'm…ok." I almost laughed at that- like he thought I'd believe him if he said he wasn't in pain. Did he think I hadn't heard him crying out in pain? I wasn't deaf!

I rolled my eyes at him. When I looked over again, he was vomiting. Gross, I couldn't help thinking. How can Chloe stand to watch all this?

"Man, that's disgusting! Chloe, is this how you get your kicks?" Tori asked.

Then it was Chloe's turn to roll her eyes. "Tori?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut it."

"Whatever. So, this is what you snuck off the bus to do? Watch Derek blow his chunks? I thought you guys were going to make-out or something!"

"TORI!" Chloe's cheeks were bright red.

"What?"

As they argued, I studied Derek. He was completely back to normal now, grabbing the pile of clothes next to him and retreating into the forest to put them back on. When he returned, he smiled at me sheepishly. "So, what'd ya think?" He ventured.

I grinned. "Seriously, bro? When you said you were a werewolf, I expected it to be way cooler than that!" He laughed, and at the sound of it, Chloe's head whipped around to stare at him She blushed when he met her gaze and returned her focus to Tori.

Then I finally understood.

A/N: OOOOOH! Now Simon knows! Aren't you excited for Part II? The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! REVIEWWW!!!