Chapter Ten

The Return

He felt surprisingly guilty over not speaking to Chloe, but how could he when he was losing control over himself? The blazing that normally lay dormant in his veins was oozing out at every opportunity, vibrant as that day, and he could not afford to lose his tenuous hold on his self-control. As much as he hated her starry-eyed attitude, he didn't want to really hurt her.

But Simon started asking about her, Tori started asking about her, and now here he was, standing in front of her motel room door. What was he supposed to say? "Hey, sorry I've been avoiding you for three weeks?"

Shaking off the strings of discomfort and self-doubt, he knocked on the door and waited. Tension coiled in his stomach at the sound of rain pouring down behind him, and he was glad he'd worn his leather jacket and drove his car here instead of walking like he'd originally planned (like a moron).

The door swung open, and Chloe peered up at him with starlit blue eyes, her mouth open in a yawn. She squeaked as her hands quickly went to cover herself, a loose tank-top that did nothing to hide the small swell of her breasts, and he could feel his cheeks blister with heat.

It was plainly obvious that she was cold.

"Derek?" she said slowly, reaching up to push a wayward lock of hair out of her face.

"Let's go," he muttered, making sure to meet her eyes and then he stepped back. "Get dressed. We're gonna train."

"T-train?" she echoed.

He crossed his arms and leaned against the railing. "No, we're going on a train. What do you think?"

High color flooded her face, making her freckles pop out. "Tra-ain? A-aft-fter we-ee-eks of ig-ignor-noring m-me?" Anger burned in her eyes and there was indignant set of her jaw. Her arms waved wildly. "T-thanks, bu-ut n-no-o tha-anks."

"You act like this is a debate. Newsflash, you moron, it's not."

"N-no wo-onder you do-o-on't have fr-fri-iends ou-outsi-side of S-Si-imon. You're su-uch a se-elf-rig-ighteous ass." The beginnings of small crystals on her fingertips caught his attention, and without another word, he herded her into the motel room, closing the door behind him.

"Calm down."

She shoved him suddenly, abruptly, and he had to admit he wasn't expecting that from such a little blonde. "N-no! Ju-ust be-bec-cau-ause you're a-a fu-fuc-fuck-king robot do-does-n-n-n't mean I-I ha-a-ave t-t-to-o-o be!" More ice crept up her arms, and he sighed, feeling heat rising up from his feet. Seeing her all riled up...because of him...

He placed both hands on her shoulders and leaned down, meeting her eyes.

She was still yelling, loud enough to be heard through the undoubtedly paper-thin walls, and she seemed to be growing more and more agitated by the minute.

Breathing past the rise of his responding element, he cupped her face hard enough to get her attention. "If you don't stop," he said seriously, deadpan, watching the fire in her eyes sparkle and dance, "then I'll be left no choice." Without another word, he scooped her up into his arms, and as she screamed and kicked and called him every foul name he'd ever heard and more, he walked down the long hallway, peering into the doors.

When he finally ran across the bathroom, he opened the door, easily keeping Chloe balanced on his shoulder with one arm, and flicked on the light. A toothbrush and tube of toothpaste lay haphazardly across the counter, and a pair of panties hung on the side of the tub, obviously drying out.

"I-I sw-swea-ear to-to-to Go-o-od-d, i-if you do-o-on't le-e-et me g-go," she warned as he turned on the hot water in the tub. Her icy hands felt like needles against the skin of his back, where his shirt had twisted away from the waistband of his jeans, and he almost dropped her right then and there.

"Are you gonna calm down?" he asked.

When she merely kicked him in reply, he thought, I warned you, and unceremoniously flipped her into his arms, ignoring the high-pitched scream she let out. Her flushed face was scrunched up and her mouth dropped open, no doubt to rip into him even more, and her arms were covered in thick, white icicles. And he could see she was really cold.

She slapped his chest, and he was surprised at how open with her emotions she was being. If her powers flourished like he suspected they would, then they'd be in deep shit.

"Control yourself."

"F-fu—" Whatever she was going to say—he had a pretty good idea what it was going to be—was cut off suddenly when he flicked on the spigot, pulled a little tab that turned on the shower head, and all but threw her down into the tab.

He didn't plan on her arms latching around his neck and the force of her fall pulling him down into the boiling spray alongside her. Water pelted his back, and he was more than glad he had it on scalding so she wouldn't notice the unnatural, feverish heat of his skin against her thighs or the steam rolling off him.

"What the hell, Chloe?" he growled, shoving himself away.

Her chest heaved as rivulets dripped down her face, the spray wetting her hair and beading diamonds in her pale lashes. The flush along the apples of her cheeks had yet to dissipate. "M-me?" she demanded, pulling herself upright so they were eye-to-eye. "Y-yo-ou're th-the ru-rud-udest b-boy I've e-ev-eve-e-ee-er met!"

He ignored her declaration and pulled his torso out of the water's aim. "This is what you need to control. Your emotions."

"Why?" she asked, scowling.

The familiar, boiling heat sizzled the blood in his veins. "Why?" he repeated quietly, eyeballing her.

He could see the skin of her breasts though her tank top, her hair clinging to her pursed lips, her overshadowed eyes narrowed at him. Steam made his head feel too light, and beads of water rolled down her face.

"Because if you don't, well, you might kill someone. That wouldn't be the first time it happened."

Any angry color in her face drained away as the door opened, and a tall, gaunt-faced blonde woman in scrubs stepped inside. "Chloe," she was saying, a big smile on her face that dropped the minute she spotted Derek, "what is going on?"

"What is going on, Chloe?" he echoed, twisting Lauren's words with a deep rumble.

Chloe looked ready to cry, but at least she wasn't covered in ice anymore.