Okay, so I'm hoping this story will pick back up and get a little more interesting, from my point of view, but for now, I'll update and see what happens. Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed my last chapter. I know it was a little late.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Darkest Powers

Derek's POV

While restraining myself from throwing Simon in front of a bus, I walked back to the den to answer the phone, leaving Chloe and Simon to their catching up. I hated to leave Chloe alone with him and his ever-increasing ability to piss people off, but maybe if it was just one of us, he would stop with the sex comments. Probably not, but one can hope.

Making my way to the back of the den, I picked up the phone and said, "Hello?"

"You busy?" Danny asked on the other end.

"Not really," I said.

"Can I come over?" she asked.

"What for?" I asked.

"I thought I'd give you more help with the stuff. Also, I don't want to go to work," she said.

Rolling my eyes, I answered, "Sure."

"Great," she said, "I'll be over in a bit."

"See you then," I said.

Hanging up the phone, I debated whether or not to go back into the kitchen. I knew it was wrong to leave Chloe alone with Simon, but the urge to throw Simon in front a bus was just too great. Shrugging, I walked over to the couch and sat down, pulling the box closer to me. I had about half an hour until Danny got here.

About fifteen minutes after going through the box again, I heard footsteps enter the den and walk back towards me.

"There you are," Simon said, plopping down next to me on the couch. "We were starting to get worried."

I grunted a response. On my other side, I felt the couch dip a little. I didn't even bother looking up. I already knew it was Chloe. My suspicions were confirmed when I heard, "Who was on the phone?"

"Danny," I answered.

I saw Simon straighten out of the corner of my eye.

"What did she want?" Simon asked, trying to sound casual.

"She's gonna come over and help with the case," I explained.

"Oh," he said.

I snuck a peek at him. He looked a little uncomfortable, which really didn't surprise me. Seeing a girl after he had slept with them wasn't really something Simon usually did. It wasn't like he was a player, but long term relationships weren't exactly Simon's thing. And it wasn't like he slept with a different girl every night. He actually made a commitment with them for about a week before he slept with them. After that, they both went their own direction and Simon found someone new.

Chloe had also tensed a little when I said that Danny was coming over and I glanced her way. She avoided my eyes and stared at the box in front of me. What's with everybody? The doorbell ringing brought me out of my thoughts. Standing up, I walked out of the den and towards the front door.

Opening it, I asked, "Why did you ring the bell?"

She pointed to Simon's car and said, "You have company."

"He's not company," I said.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"Simon," I said, closing the door after her.

"Oh," she said. "Now I don't feel so bad about interrupting."

"You felt bad?" I questioned.

"No," she said, walking towards the den. I just rolled my eyes and followed. Upon reaching the couch, I saw that Simon and Chloe were gone. I was seriously starting to question everybody's motives.

"So," Danny said, "Find anything?"

"Yeah," I said, sitting down, "I think I did. I went through these last night with Chloe and we came up with a theory."

"The theory being?" Danny asked.

"We think that Marissa was a supernatural," I said, "Or involved with a supernatural."

"What race?"

"We don't know that," I said, "It's only a theory. Though it does make sense."

"Where is Chloe?" she asked, looking around. "Shouldn't she be here? You said you guys came up with the theory. Shouldn't she be a part of this?"

"I don't know where she is. She was here when I went to answer the door, but was gone when we got here. Simon too."

I thought about it for a second before saying, "I'll go find her."

"I'll be here," Danny said, reaching into the box.

I stood up and left the den. Trying the downstairs first, I came up empty. I did find Simon, though, in the other living room watching TV. I left him to his business and went upstairs. Walking to Tori's room, I knocked and heard, "Come in."

I turned the knob and pushed the door open, seeing Chloe inside staring out the window.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"No reason," I said, "Wanna help with the case?"

"It's your case," she answered, "I'd just be in the way."

"No you wouldn't," I said, stepping into the room and shutting the door. I walked over to her and asked, "Why would you think that?"

"You guys have being working on it a long time," she explained, "I'd probably just be repeating things you've already ruled out."

"Sometimes that helps," I offered. I leaned on the nightstand so that I was closer to her. "You really helped last night. I never would have considered the possibility of supernaturals being involved."

"You would have eventually," she argued.

"Not really," I said. I took a deep breath and said, "I have this line. On one side, I have the supernatural part of my life. On the other is the human part. My job is part of my human side. I never considered that the supernatural part would find me there. So no, I wouldn't have even considered it."

She looked at me and said with a small smile, "You sure you're an actual detective?"

"I said sort of," I corrected her.

"Okay, sort-of detective," she said, smiling, "I'll help. But only because you're so lost without me."

I helped her up and said, "Why is it that every female I meet feels the need to mock my in some way?"

"You're an easy target," she said.

I stopped and asked, "I am?"

Turning around, she said, "Uh huh. You always react to it."

"I didn't realize I was doing it," I said.

"Don't worry," she said, "I'll only make fun of you when you realize I'm doing it."

I rolled my eyes, and followed her out. My eyes wandered to her arm and I said, "We'll have to check the wound again."

"Okay," she said.

"Tonight?" I asked.

"It's a date," she said. Immediately following, she blushed. I wanted to question her response, but I figured I'd just be embarrassing her more. Instead, I kept silent as we made our way to the den. Danny's indication that she knew we were there was an absent-minded wave without turning around.

"Make any breakthroughs in that five minutes?" I asked, plopping down next to her. Chloe chose to sit in the chair next to the table.

"Besides the fact that some of these pictures on the bottom have blood on them, not really," she said. Looking up at me, she said, "You should really clean better."

"I didn't even notice the blood," I said, sifting through to the bottom.

"It's dried, so it's not like it would have been all over your hands," she pointed out, staring at the picture she was holding.

I found one and drew it out. Holding it to my nose, I took a quick sniff to see if I recognized the scent, which I did. It was the man from the closet that smelled oddly familiar.

"I acknowledge the fact that you are weird and to support you, I tease," Danny said, "But do you really have to smell the blood? It's kind of obvious that it is, in fact, blood."

"He's trying to find a scent," Chloe answered for me, "To see if he recognizes it."

"Note to self, werewolves, freaky," she said, half-smiling. I just rolled my eyes.

"Did you?" Chloe asked.

I looked up. "Did I what?"

"Recognize the scent."

"It's the man from the closet," I said, "But that's all."

"When do you actually plan on informing Hanson that you found somebody murdered in the closet of the apartment that you didn't bring back-up?" Danny asked.

It took me a minute to break up what she had said. "I didn't find somebody murdered in the closet. I found the blood of somebody murdered in the closet."

Sighing in annoyance, Danny said, "You know what I mean."

"Not yet," I said, "I want to get farther."

"Does that mean you want to solve the case before even talking to him?" she asked. "I hate to be the buzz kill, but it's both of our hides on the line here. If we don't give Hanson something soon, he's going to kick us off the case."

"We have enough to stay on the case," I answered, "If he gets antsy, we'll give him what we know, but until then, he stays out of the loop."

I saw Chloe shift uncomfortably in her chair. I looked over at her and suddenly felt bad about dragging her down here. Sitting up, I pushed the box over and said, "Grab a handful and see if you can find the man again."

She smiled gratefully and grabbed a handful. Sitting back, she started sifting through her pile. Danny and I did the same. After an hour, we'd successfully found zilch. Simon even came in to see what we were doing, but he didn't stay long. I noticed Danny and him exchanging glances. About fifteen minutes after he left, I turned to Danny and said, "Why don't you go ask Simon if he wants to order a couple pizzas?"

Her head shot up and for the first time, I saw Danny blush. "Sure."

I watched her go and then glanced at Chloe. She met my eyes and smiled and bit her lip, trying to suppress a laugh. I held her gaze, unaware that the clock was ticking away the minutes. Her expression turned serious and neither of us turned away.

The clock chimed, announcing the arrival of six o'clock. We broke eye contact and I blinked. I looked back and saw her blushing. Suddenly realizing that we were still alone, I looked around in confusion.

"Danny's not back yet?"

"Guess not," Chloe said.

I motioned for her to follow and we crept to the living room. I held out my arm, stopping her. Touching a finger to my lips, I motioned for her to stay quiet. Peeking my head around the door frame, I saw why Danny was taking so long. Simon and she were on the couch. More specifically, they were both laying on the couch with Simon leaning over her. Their lips were locked and they had no idea that they were being watched. I pulled my head back and looked at Chloe, who was looking back at me in confusion. I pointed in and she looked. She pulled back and covered her mouth with her hand in order to stop laughing.

"Think we should interrupt the happy couple?" I whispered.

"Well, they have been going at it for a while," she whispered back, "And if we let them continue, you may need to disinfect your couch."

"What are you trying to do?" I asked, "Make me lose my lunch?"

"You didn't eat lunch," she pointed out.

I gave her a look.

"Give me your cell phone," she said, reaching out her hand.

"Why?"

"Just do it.

I reached into my pocket and grabbed it out. She grabbed it from me and started pushing buttons. I didn't ask what she was doing. She finally found what she was looking for and hit call. I gave her a confused look until I heard Simon's phone ringing from inside the living room. He answered.

"Hello?" he asked, obviously not reading the caller id.

"Do you plan on actually making it to the bedroom?" she asked.

There was a scrambling inside as somebody fell on the floor. Chloe and I burst out laughing.

"You suck," Simon said, coming out.

"Hey, don't look at me," I said, holding up my hands, "It was Chloe's idea."

"Traitor," she whispered.

"I'll wait for you when you get out," I said. Her response was to stick out her tongue.

"So, I think I'll be heading home," Danny said, trying to sneak past us.

"You sure?" I asked, "Cause Simon's got brand new pillows in his room that I'd bet he'd love to show you."

She blushed again and I felt a small shove. I looked over at Simon, who was still a few feet away.

"Did you just cast a knockback at me?" I asked.

He just glared back. I took that as I yes and turned back to see Danny was gone. I faintly heard the sound of car starting.

"Did you really have to do that?" Simon asked.

"As much as I want you to have a nice relationship," I said, "I'd prefer if you didn't have sex on my couch."

"You said I was going to?" he asked.

"I have eyes," I said. Changing the subject, I said, "Pizza good?"

"Sure," Simon said, instantly reacting to a new subject.

I looked over a Chloe and said, "I'd make something but pizza's faster and like you said, we didn't eat lunch."

"Pizza's fine," she said.

Nodding, I walked into the kitchen and hit speed dial. I ordered the regular, plus an extra medium pepperoni. It didn't take long for the pizza to arrive or for us to settle around the couch in the living room with the pizza boxes in front of us. Chloe was laughing at the expression on Simon's face as he took a bite of the hot pizza. I even cracked a smile. He grabbed for his diet coke and took a drink. His expression went up a notch as the burning sensation from the coke that wasn't exactly ice cold hit the freshly burnt roof of his mouth. I laughed at that and Chloe laughed even harder. She leaned her head onto my shoulder as she laughed. We were sitting next to each other on the couch while Simon was sitting in one of the armchairs that surround the coffee table. The arrangement was similar to the den, but the chairs were more focused around the table.

"Could you look even stupider?" a voice asked behind us. I sobered up immediately and so did Chloe. Turning around, I saw Tori standing there with her bags at her feet. She was staring her Simon, who gave her the finger.

"You're early," I said.

"Got done early," she explained. She skipped the hellos as she walked around the couch and settled in the other chair. She shed her jacket and reached for a slice of pizza.

"No food on the flight?" I asked.

"I don't eat crap," she said, taking a bite of pizza.

"Don't you notice something?" Simon asked when he finally recovered.

"What?" she asked, looking up.

He gestured to Chloe. "What, Chloe? I'm not blind. Of course I saw her."

"And you don't even say hi?" Simon asked, "It's been a few years."

"I can count, genius," she said.

"Aren't you even a little surprised to see her?" he asked.

"No. I'm just surprised that it took her so long to come back to Derek's bed," she said, totally oblivious to me and Chloe suddenly choking.

Simon burst out laughing and said, "See!"

"Tori!" I said when I finally recovered.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"We're not sleeping together," I growled.

"There is no way you two are not sleeping with each other," she said, taking another bite of her pizza. "For one thing, you two are leaning on each other."

Chloe and I looked at each other and shot apart to separate ends of the couch.

"And for another thing, I saw you guys when I came in," she said, "I'm not stupid."

"We are not sleeping together," I repeated.

"You can lie all you want but I know the truth," she said. "Even if you aren't sleeping together now, you will be."

"And what makes you think that?" I asked.

"Oh please. When Chloe left, you moped for weeks," she said, "Now that she's back, you can't seriously believe that you won't be back to humping her leg in no time."

I full on glared as Chloe's face turned the brightest shade of red imaginable and Simon choked out a laugh. Grabbing a napkin, Tori patted the grease off her lips and got up.

"Now, I'm going to bed," she said. "Simon, grab my bags."

I was surprised when he got up and grabbed them. "Night, bro. Night Chloe."

I looked over at Chloe. She was hiding her face in the crook of her arm.

"Sorry," I mumbled, looking down at the rest of the pizza, suddenly losing my appetite. She didn't respond and I looked over, worried.

"Chloe?" She still didn't respond. I got up and leaned down in front of her. "Chloe?"

I reached out and touched her arm. She looked up and I saw tears. Without thinking, I reached out and gently brushed them away. Chloe closed her eyes and leaned into my hand.

"You okay?" I asked softly.

She opened her eyes and nodded. Biting her lip, she said, "Sorry. I just…"

"It's okay," I said. "I don't blame you. I'd like to say that Tori means well, but I'd be lying."

That got me a little smile and I said, "Maybe we should follow their example and head upstairs for the night."

"I think I'll stay down here," she said.

"Because of Tori?" I asked. "I know she's a bitch, but you shouldn't let her get to you."

"It's not that," she said, biting her lip.

"Then what?" I asked, confused.

She looked away and said, "Tori's here."

"So?" I asked.

"Which means that she's using her room," she said. When I still didn't understand, she went on, "Where I've been staying."

It finally hit me and I said, "Oh. Um…shit. I completely forgot. I'm sorry. Here, I'll take the couch and you can sleep in my room."

"I don't want to kick you out of your own room," she protested.

"It's okay," I said.

She looked like she wanted to say something, but she swallowed the words.

"What?" I asked.

"Well, we're both mature adults," she said, pausing. "We could share your room. As long as we stay on our own side of the bed."

"That would work," I said, standing up. I held out my hand to help her up. She took it and I pulled her up. When we were both on our feet, I dropped her hand and motioned her ahead of me. I followed her up the stairs and into my room. She looked around and back at me.

"My pajamas are in Tori's room," she said.

"You can get them tomorrow," I said. "You can wear my shirt for tonight."

"Without bottoms?" she asked.

Smiling softly, I said, "I won't peek."

She blushed and looked away. I grabbed one of my shirts and handed it to her, pointing to the bathroom. When she shut the door, I stripped down to my boxers and considered pulling on a pair of sweats. Deciding against it, I crawled into bed. Chloe had seen me in them before. After a few minutes, I heard Chloe say, "Are your eyes closed?"

I shut them and said, "Yeah."

"Good," she said, opening the door. I heard her scamper over to the bed and crawling in.

"Decent?" I asked.

"Uh huh," she responded. I opened my eyes and shut off the light. I felt her shifting into a more comfortable position and then sigh when she found one. Lying on my back with one arm under my head, I stayed awake.

"Night Derek," Chloe said softly.

Breathing deeply, I said, "Night Chloe."

Enter Tori. I know, not as long as it could be, but oh well.