Shout out to TheMorbidGal and Bre for reviewing! I really liked that chapter too! And yes! The ticket-stealing! I really like Ashlee's character (Obviously, I always use her :P), but it's like you almost fall in love with your own OC, in a writing sense I mean :) Enjoy this chapter!
Something Wicked 1x18
Ashlee's p.o.v
"I don't know dude, maybe we got the coordinates wrong" I say. "I mean, I can't find a single red flag"
"Your Dad sent them, they've gotta be right" Derek says.
"They point to Fitchburg, Wisconson" I tell him.
"Then that's where we're headed" Derek nods.
"Okay" I say, clearing the papers and crap off my lap. I lean the seat back and curl up into a ball.
"What're you doing?" Derek asks me, studying me in amusement.
"Trying to get comfortable so I can get some more shut eye before we do this case" I say, finding a comfortable position and settling into it.
"You look like a cat" he chuckles.
"You look like a douche" I grin, yawning. Derek reaches into the backseat. He drops the blanket over me.
"Get some sleep, i'll wake you when we're there" he says. I nod, yawning again. Damn, I must be tired. "I'm sure there'll be something's for us in Wisconson" he says. I peek out one eye.
"What makes you so sure?" I ask him.
"Because i'm older which means i'm always right" he grins.
"No it doesn't"
"Totally does" he says. "Now go to sleep, you get grotchy when you don't sleep" he says. I scoff but close my eyes, ready to go to sleep anyway.
..
I lean againist the camaro, yawning. Damn. I'm finally catching up on missed sleep and it's hitting me like a brick. Derek comes back over from the coffee shop. He hands me a takeaway cup.
"What's in it?" I ask.
"Drink up" he says, taking a drag from his own cup. I shrug, taking a sip. Wow. That's some good goddamn coffee. Beautifully roasted beans. "Noone's seen or heard anything weird from the local shops" Derek tells me. I nod. I look around.
"Der, what's the time?" I ask him.
"Ten past four, why?"
"What's wrong with this picture?" I ask, nodding to the empty playground. "Where's all the kids?" I ask. Derek and I walk over to the mother watching her child play, he's the only one here. She tells us a handful of kids have fallen ill, ill enough to go to hospital. People are calling it a virus or something. Sounds fishy.
..
We visit the hospital and speak with Doctor Heidecker. We pose as CDC workers, looking into the many sick kids. They've got 6 cases so far in 5 weeks.
"The kids aren't responding to antibiotics. Their white cell counts keep going down" the doctor tells us.
"Let me guess, immune systems not doing what they should, bodies are just wearing out?" I say. The doctor nods.
"Yeah. Exactly" he says. A nurse comes over. She must have caught wind of our conversation because she tells us it's working it's way through families but only the kids. We try to get in to talk to the kids but none of the 6 are concious. There is a parent we can talk to though.
..
"Now, you say Mary's the oldest?" I ask the father of two of the kids that are sick.
"Yes, she's 13" he nods.
"And she came down with it first?"
"Yes. Then it was Bethany the next night" he tells us.
"One more question" Derek says. "How do you think they caught pneumonia?"
"We think it was an open window" the father says.
"Both times?" Derek asks.
"The first time but the second..I remember closing it"
"You think Bethany opened it?" I ask him.
"It's a second story window with a ledge, noone else could of" he shrugs. Yeah, noone human.
..
We decide to visit that guy's house as he's looking to stay with his daughters. We check the house for EMF but nothing comes up. I start looking around the girls' room.
"Derek, over here" I say. He walks over, looking down at what i'm looking at. A bony, long handprint branded into the window ledge. "It's definitely not pneumonia" I say. I touch the wood, finding it's easily breaking away. "It's rotted. What the hell leaves a handprint like that?" I ask. Derek doesn't say anything so I turn to him. He looks dazed. "Derek?" he doesn't say anything. I nudge him. "Dude?"
"What?" he asks, snapping out of it.
"Are you okay?" I ask him.
"Yeah, course" he brushes me off. "I know why your Dad sent us here. My Dad's faced this thing before. Your Dad wants us to finish the job" Derek says. He turns around and heads for the door, leaving me in the room, confused.
..
Derek tells me what he thinks this thing is, a shtriga. He tells me what he can before we're pulling up at a motel. We get out.
"So what exactly is a shtriga?" I ask him, still a little confused.
"It's sort of like a witch" he tells me. "I don't know much about them"
"I've never heard of them. They're not even in my Dad's journal" I say.
"Dad hunted one in Fort Douglas, Wisconson. I was like 13" he says. "I guess your Dad heard they were here so he kicked us the coordinates"
"So you think this thing is the same one your Dad hunted?" I ask him.
"Maybe"
"If your Dad went after it then why would it still be breathing? It's not like the thing could have gotten away from him" I say.
"Yeah, it happens" Derek says.
"Barely. What else do you remember?" I ask.
"Nothing. I was a kid, okay?" he says defensively.
"Okay" I sigh. "I'll get us a room" I say, walking in. Maybe I shouldn't have brought up his Dad.. I smile at the young boy that comes up to the reception.
"A king or 2 queens?" he asks me. I think it over. I've just upset Derek and i'm having the strangest sleeps lately.
"2 queens" I say. A woman comes in, taking the boy's place, must be his Mom.
"Will that be cash or credit?" she asks.
"Mastercard?" I ask.
"Sure" she smiles. I hand her the card, looking into the housing area to see the young boy bringing food to an even younger boy.
"Der, we want Lucky Charms" a very young Cora whines from her spot beside me at the table. Derek's been left in charge to look after the two of us while our Dad's and my brothers take care of some 'adult business'.
"There's only enough for another bowl and I haven't had any yet" Derek says. Cora gives him her stubborn look. He sighs and splits the remaining Lucky Charms into 2 bowls. He fills them with milk, drops in the spoons and puts them in front of us. Cora smiles widely, digging in. I feel bad. I've already had a bowl, he's had none.
"Der" I say. He turns to me with a frown. I push my bowl in front of him. "You have them" I smile. His frown disappears, turning into a huge smile. He hugs me and I laugh, hugging him back.
"Are you two gonna get married?" Cora asks, eating her Lucky Charms sloppily. Derek and I just laugh at her antics.
"Ma'am?" I snap out of my flashback. The woman hands me back my card and I put it away.
"Thanks" I smile when she hands the keys over. I go outside, ushering Derek in. He grabs our 1 bag each and slings them over his shoulder. I lead him to our room, unlocking the door and going in. I fall down onto one of the two beds. Derek looks at me in confusion.
"What's this?" he asks, motioning to the 2 beds. "I'm being kicked out?" he asks with a frown.
"No, i've just been moving alot in my sleep lately and I don't wanna keep you up" I tell him honestly. More sleep means more everything. During my time of catching up on sleep, i've even woken up upside down in bed. That's not exactly normal.
"Fine" he says shortly, putting his bag on his bed and putting mine on my bed.
"Don't be like that" I say.
"I'm not being like anything" he says. I sigh, getting my laptop out. I lay on my stomach, starting research. Why the hell is he so down today?
"Well you're right. A shtriga is a kind of witch. They're Albanian but legends trace them back to Ancient Rome. They feed off spiritus vitae" I say. Derek gives me a questioning look. "It's Latin, translates to 'breath of life'" I tell him. He nods, looking impressed. "So pretty much your life force or essence"
"Back at the hospital, you were saying the kids' bodies were wearing out" Derek recalls.
"It's possible. She takes your life force and everything goes to hell, pneumonia takes hold of you. It says, they can feed off anyone but they especially prefer-"
"Children" Derek finishes for me. I nod.
"Yeah, they have a stronger life force. Great, it says they're invulnerable to all weapons devised by god and man" I sigh.
"That's not true" Derek says, coming to sit down across from me on his own bed. "She's vulnerable when she feeds" it's my turn to give him a questioning look. "If you catch her when she's eating, you can blast her with consecrated wrought iron. Buckshots or rounds" he tells me. I stop, closing my laptop. I sit up, crossing my legs under me and facing Derek properly.
"You wanna tell me how you know all this?" I ask him.
"Dad told me, I remembered" he shrugs.
"Hey, I uh..i'm sorry if I upset you earlier" I say. He looks at me, confused. "You just seemed pissed off before"
"No, no, that wasn't you" he assures me.
"Then what was it?" I ask him. He changes the subject, telling me he saw an old woman with an inverted cross on her wall at the hospital, that maybe she's our shtriga. "So that's it then? You're gonna brush me off too? " I ask him.
"Leave it alone" he tells me, grabbing his keys and walking out. I groan, following him. The hospital, that's our last stop for the night. Argh, I hate hospitals.
..
That was a bust. The old woman's actually been asking doctors and nurses to fix the cross for her, it's just a normal cross. I give Derek a little crap about it just to entertain myself. We end up back at the motel. I'm ready for some more sleep, I think i'm almost caught up. Derek had his couple nights of catch up recently too. It was actually quite cute. He'd curl up in the passenger's seat and sleep while I drove. I always do that but to see him do it was different. I shower before bed. It's freezing and i'm hoping it'll warm me up. I was wrong. It's too late to go down to the lobby and ask for more blankets. I have an idea. After i've thrown on a hoodie, I flick the light off. I use the little moonlight provided to find my way to my bed. I grab the comforter off the bed, wrapping myself up in it. I shuffle over to Derek's bed, getting in beside the male.
"What are you doing?" Derek asks sleepily, eyes opening. He must have fallen asleep while I was showering.
"I'm freezing" I say.
"Ash, go to sleep" he sighs.
"I will, with you" I say. He just stares at me. "Look, I don't care that you've got your panties in a bunch dude, i'm friggin' cold so you're gonna let me in your bed" I say. He smiles a little.
"Come here" he says, moving over. I get in properly, curling up with him. He brings his arms around me and the blanket, cuddling into me. "You're right, it's freezing tonight" he shivers. I move closer to him, wanting him to be as warm as I am.
"Night Der" I yawn.
"Night Ash" he says.
..
I wake up when something's poking my stomach. I peel my eyes opening, almost bursting out laughing at mine and Derek's positions. We're both under mine and his blankets. I've somehow moved up and wrapped my legs around his sides. His head's resting againist my stomach, arm slung over my hip. How we ended up like this..I don't know. It's the weather, it's friggin' cold. I yawn and stretch, making him stir. He tightens his hold on me, making tired noises. I smack his head softly when he starts to nuzzle his face into my stomach.
"Let me go, we gotta get up" I say. Derek groans, opening his eyes. He looks between us in confusion.
"What the hell?" he asks.
"I told you i've been moving around alot lately" I say. He shrugs, letting me go and rolling onto his back. I sit up, stretching again.
"Think you've caught up yet?" he asks me. I nod, getting out of bed.
"Yeah, i'd say so" I click my bones. That was such a weird way to sleep, my body's not used to it. I turn back to Derek finding him under all the blankets, curling up to go back to sleep. "Hey, get up" I say, pulling the blankets off him.
"No, Ash" he objects, pulling them back over him.
"We've got work to do Derek, come on" I say. He sighs and throws the blankets off him.
"Let me shower first" he mutters, shuffling to the shower, peeling his shirt off as he goes. I chuckle at the way he instantly regrets it, shivering like crazy. He shuts the door and I start making the beds.
..
"Put this on" Derek says as we walk outside. I turn to find he's holding out his only other leather jacket to me. I give him a questioning look. "It's cold as hell, you're going to get sick walking around in just a singlet" he says. I nod, taking it from him.
"Thanks" I smile, pulling it on properly. It's warm, hugging my body easily as it's made to fit Derek's large frame.
"It's okay, you look good in leather" Derek says.
"Shut up" I chuckle, shoving him playfully. He chuckles. His eyes fall to something, making him stop. He walks away, going over to where the little boy from the reception is sitting. I go over too.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Derek asks him.
"My brother's sick" he tells us sadly.
"The little guy?" I ask. He nods.
"It's pneumonia. He's in hospital. It's my fault" the boy says sadly.
"Listen to me. I can promise you that this was not your fault, okay?" Derek says.
"It's my job to look after him" the boy says. I look between Derek and the kid. His mother comes out, holding bags and blankets.
"Michael, I want you to turn the no vacancy sign on while i'm gone" she says to her son. "I've got Denise covering room service so don't bother with any of the rooms"
"I'm going with you" Michael says, getting up.
"Not now Michael" his mother sighs.
"But I gotta see Asher!" Michael objects. I move to help the mother pack her car as she's clearly stressd and upset. She gives me a small thankful smile.
"Hey Michael" Derek says, crotching down beside the kid. "I know how you feel, i'm a big brother too, but you gotta go easy on your Mom right now, okay?" I look back at Derek. He's trying to comfort the boy but I know deep down he's feeling a little upset about Cora.
"Dammit" his mother says, dropping her bag.
"I got it" I say, picking it up for her and passing it back.
"Thank you" she says, giving me a small smile.
"You're in no condition to drive. Why don't you let me give you a lift to the hospital?" Derek says to her.
"No, I couldn't possibly.." she says.
"No, it's no trouble at all" Derek says. She nods and holds her keys out to Derek, the male taking them.
"Thanks" she says. "Be good" she says, kissing Michael's head. She goes for the passenger's seat. Derek comes over to me and kisses my head too.
"We're gonna kill this thing" Derek says. I nod. "I want it dead, you hear me?" he says, voice a little angry but not at me. I narrow my eyes a little but nod again anyway. "Be careful, this thing's dangerous. Call me if anything happens. Do not go near it without me. I'm serious Ash" he says.
"I get it, stay away until you're back" I nod.
"Good" he says before getting into the car. Michael frowns sadly, watching them drive away.
"Hey, your brother's gonna be okay" I assure him, turning to him.
"I hope so" Michael sighs. "Do you have little brother?" he asks me. I smile softly.
"No, i'm the baby of the family. I've got older brothers. I uh..I sort of had a younger sister" I say, talking about Cora.
"What happened to her?" Michael asks.
"She..she moved away" I tell him sadly. "But she's happy where she is and she's safe so..so it's a good thing" I say, forcing a smile. "It's cold, get on inside and in front of the heater or something kid" I say.
"You wanna come in with me?" he asks, looking up at me. "I don't like being in there alone"
"Sure, i'll come in" I nod with a real smile. I understand how he feels.
..
I use Michael's tablet to do some research. Derek calls me.
"How's the kid doing?" I ask him.
"He's not good" Derek sighs. "Where are you?"
"I'm with Michael at their house" I tell him. "Kid's scared dude, really scared" Michael comes in holding 2 cups. I move the phone away from my mouth so I can talk to Michael. "What's all this?" I ask him as he hands me one.
"Real hot cocoa" he tells me. "Asher loves them" he says sadly, sitting down in front of the fire with me.
"Thanks Michael" I smile. He returns it, looking into the flames. I bring my phone back up. "Derek, we need to do something. Now"
"I know" he agrees. "Tell me what you've found"
"Well..it's been popping up in a new town every 15-20 years. Puts kids into comas then they die" I say, lowering my voice so Michael can't hear me. "Dozens of kids, this thing's only getting started" I sigh.
"I know, we gotta kill this thing as fast as we can" he says.
"Dude.." I say, zooming in on the photo i've just found.
"What is it?"
"I'm looking at a photo right now of a bunch of doctors standing around a kid's bed. One of them's Heidacker" I say.
"So..?"
"This picture was taken in 1893"
"Are you sure?" he asks.
"I'm sure" I say. "Derek, don't do anything st-" he hangs up before I can even finish. I sigh heavily, hanging up as well.
"Everything okay?" Michael asks me.
"Yeah, everything's fine kid" I smile. "Derek's just..he can be a handful sometimes, you know?"
"Yeah, Asher's sometimes like that too" he says, smiling a little. Yeah..this thing needs to die, and fast.
..
I go back to our room once Derek's come back. Michael's upset but we have to figure out how we kill this thing.
"A doctor, perfect disguise" I say, rubbing my hands down my face.
"That son of a bitch" Derek says, pacing the room all agitated.
"I'm suprise you didn't draw on him" I say.
"Well firstly, I wasn't going to open fire in a pediatrics ward" he says.
"Yeah, good call"
"Second, he's bulletproof useless he's feeding and third, I wasn't packing. Which is a good thing because I would have emptied a clip in him on principal alone" Derek says.
"You're getting wise in your old age" I chuckle.
"Damn right. Now I know how we're going it get it" he says.
"Wait, how?" I ask.
"They're only vulnerable when they're feeding right? And it's working through siblings. Last night it went after Asher so.."
"We gotta get him out of here" I say.
"No, that'll blow it" he says.
"Wait..you wanna use the kid as bait?" I ask him. "Are you out of your friggin' mind? He's a kid! No! Forget it" I say.
"It's the only way and you know it" Derek says. "Listen, if this thing disappears it could be years before it resurfaces again"
"I know that but we're not dangling a 10 year old in front of that thing like a worm on a hook. It's not happening Derek" I object.
"Your Dad did not send me here to walk away" Derek says. I stop, looking at him properly.
"Send you here? He didn't send you here, he sent us here" I remind him.
"This isn't about you Ash. I'm the one that screwed up alright? It's my fault. There's no telling how many kids have gotten hurt because of me" he says.
"What are you talking about?" I ask him. "Derek? How's this your fault?" I ask him. He ignores me. I go over to him, grabbing his arm and making me look at me. "You've been hiding something since we got here. Since when does your Dad bail out on a hunt? Since when does he let something get away? Now, I can either beat it out of you or you can just tell me. It's your choice" I say. He sighs and grabs my hand, moving us to sit on the bed. Derek turns to me and sighs again.
"Fort Douglas, Winconson" Derek starts. "Dad was on a hunt, he had to bring Cora and I with him, everyone was off doing their own thing. It was our 3rd night in this crap room and I didn't know when Dad was coming back. He told me I had to stay in the room, I had to keep my eye on Cora but.. She was hungry and we were out of food. I left for 5 minutes to pick something up for dinner, 5 minutes, that's all. And when I got back..there was something in the room. I saw it, and it was hurting her. I went for the rifle but Dad was already running in and shooting it before I could even cock the gun. It got away. Dad grabbed us and we booked. He brought us to your house, asked John to look after us while he was gone. He went back to finish the job but it was just gone, disappeared" he tells me with a sad sigh. "Dad, he..he looked at me different after that. He had to tell your Dad what happened, why he was dumping us with you guys again. It took weeks for us to get back to normal. It was..it was horrible. But I don't blame him, you know? He gave me a job, an order and I didn't listen. I disobeyed and it almost cost my sister her life" Derek says, blinking away the tears in his eyes.
"But she's okay" I say. "You were just a kid-"
"Don't" he cuts me off. "Don't make excuses for me. John knew this was unfinished business for me. He sent me here to finish it" Derek says.
"Okay. I understand" I nod. "But using Michael..i'm not okay with that Derek" I say. "How about one of us hides under the covers? We be the bait? Hell, i'll do it if it means it doesn't have to be Michael"
"It won't work. It's gotta be close enough to feed, it'll see. Believe me, I don't like this at all. But it's gotta be the kid" Derek says.
"Okay" I sigh. "But you have to promise me he won't get hurt"
"He won't, I promise" Derek says. I run my hand through my hair stressfully.
"Okay, let's go talk to him" I say.
..
Well, that didn't work.
"Now what?" Derek asks, sitting down on his bed.
"You can't ask an adult to do something like that, much less a kid" I say. Derek goes to the door when there's a knock. He opens it, revealing Michael. I smile proudly, he's a brave kid.
"If you kill it, will Asher get better?" Michael asks Derek.
"Honestly? We don't know" Derek tells him honestly.
"You said you're a big brother" Michael says.
"Yeah. I got a little sister" Derek tells him.
"You'd take care of your little sister? You'd do anything for her?" Michael asks.
"Yeah, I would" Derek nods.
"Me too" Micheal says. "I'll help"
..
I help Derek adjust the camera from the next room. Derek goes over to Michael, sitting down on his bed. I watch, not saying anything.
"Just stay under the covers, alright?" Derek says. Michael nods.
"And if it shows up?"
"We're right in the next room. We're gonna come in with guns. As soon as we do that, roll off the bed and crawl under it"
"What if you shoot me?" Michael asks him fearfully.
"We won't, we're good shots. We won't fire until you're clear, okay?" Derek assures him. Michael nods. "Have you heard a gunshot before?"
"Yeah, in the movies"
"It's gonna be alot louder than in the movies. So I want you to stay under the bed, cover your ears, do not come out until we say so. You understand?"
"Yeah" Michael says, sounding scared.
"Michael, you sure you wanna do this?" Derek asks him. "You don't have to, it's okay. I won't be mad"
"No, i'm okay. Just don't shoot me" Michael says.
"We're not going to let anything happen to you, I promise" Derek assures him. He squeezes Michael's shoulder before leaving and coming into the room. I look away from the camera, making out I wasn't just watching him. Derek definitely blames himself for all this. And he doesn't want Michael to get hurt like Cora did. "Okay, let's finish this" Derek says, eyes focusing on the screen, watching closely.
..
"Look" Derek says. I move to look at the screen. The window slides open. It's here. We load our guns, cocking them. The shtriga gets into Michael's room.
"Now?" I ask.
"Not yet" Derek says. I watch, starting to feel panic as it moves to stand over Michael. It opens it's mouth, starting to glow. Derek and I get up, bursting in the door.
"Hey!" I yell.
"Michael, down!" Derek orders. The second Michael's under the bed, we open fire, shooting the shtriga multiple times each. It falls to the ground. "Mike, you alright?" Derek asks.
"Yeah" Michael says from under the bed.
"Just sit tight" Derek says. He approaches the shtriga slowly, looking down at it. He turns to me, nodding. The shtriga suddenly rises and grabs Derek by the throat, tossing him away and into a set of drawers.
"Derek!" I yell, shooting at the thing. It does nothing. The shtriga rushes forward and throws me to the ground, holding me down. I struggle to reach my gun as it forces my mouth open. I suddenly feel powerless, seeing my energy leaving my mouth and going into the shtriga's.
"Hey!" Derek yells. The shtriga looks up and Derek shoot it in the head. It falls off of me and I start gasping for breath, clutching my chest. "Ash?!" Derek panics, rushing over to me. "You okay?" he asks. I nod, coughing. He helps me to sit up, rubbing my back.
"I-I think my life force just got bad touched" I joke dryly, feeling my body start to calm again. My eyes snap to the shtriga. Life force starts to escape from it's mouth. Derek raises his gun and shoots it 3 more times at point blank. "Hey, Derek, stop" I say softly. I bring my hand over the gun, lowering it for him. He looks angry and I know those last 3 shots were for his sake. More energy escapes before the shtriga collapses in on itself, disintergrating into nothing.
"It's okay Michael, you can come out now" Derek says. Michael comes out, kneeling down beside me.
"Are you okay?" he asks me.
"Yeah kid, i'm fine" I smile, leaning my head againist Derek's chest.
..
"Mom! Mom!" Michael exclaims. Derek and I turn around to see Joanna pulling up.
"Hey" she smiles, hugging him.
"How's Asher?" Michael asks her.
"Good news, your brother's gonna be fine" she smiles.
"Really?" Michael grins.
"Yeah. Noone can explain it, it's a miracle. They're going to keep him in overnight for observation and then he's coming home"
"That's great" Derek says.
"How are all the other kids?" I ask.
"Good, real good. A bunch of them should be checking out in a few days. Dr Travis says the ward's going to be like a ghost town" Joanna tells me.
"Dr Travis? What happened to Dr Heidacker?" I ask.
"He wasn't in today. Must be sick or something" she says.
"Yeah, must be" Derek says.
"Anything happen while I was gone?" Joanna asks Michael. He glances at us.
"Nah, same old stuff" Michael says.
"Come on, let's go see Ash"
"Really? Now?" Michael asks excitedly.
"Only if you want too" Michael grins and runs and gets in the car. Joanna turns to us. "I'd better get going before he hotwires the car and drives himself" she jokes.
"Thanks for the hospitality" I say. She nods to us with a smile and gets into the car. She waves goodbye, driving away. I turn to Derek. "You did it" I say.
"We did it" he corrects. He sighs contently, smiling a little. "Feels good, you know? To know it's finally dead" he says, leaning againist the camaro. I nod. "It's like a weight's lifted off my shoulders..I don't know" he says, shuffling his feet and looking down at them. I go over to the man and wrap my arms around his torso, resting my head againist his chest. "Ash?" he asks, confused.
"Shhh..i'm being sentimental" I hush him. I smile when his arms come around me, holding me to him, trapping warmth between us.
"I'm glad you're okay" he says, kissing my head.
"Me too. And i'm glad you got to finish this" I say.
"Me too" he says, resting his chin on my head. We hug for awhile, just enjoying being close and being warm. Derek gets a little upset, over-thinking about Cora. I rub his back and assure him she's doing fine, promising we'll skype her tonight.
"Come on, we should go" I say.
"Okay" Derek nods. He lifts me up a little, squeezing me tightly. I make a strangled sound and he puts me back on my feet, letting me go. "I'm good now" he smiles.
"I bet, you tried to kill me" I chuckle.
"With a hug" he says innocently.
"Get your ass in the car" I chuckle. He laughs, getting in the driver's seat as I get in the passenger's seat. Derek starts the car but doesn't pull out yet.
"Thank you" he says, turning to look at me.
"It's okay" I say, squeezing his hand. He gives me a soft smile before flicking on the radio, ending our show of affections. I grin, putting my feet up on the dash as he drives away.
..
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