Chapter Twelve
Disclaimer: I don't own DP
A/N: Okay, so I tried something different… I hope you guys like it.
P.S. Ignore the crappy grammar when I write it's usually after work/school (which is late) and I try to catch the ones I can see, but some do slip by.
Previously…
I snapped out of my daze and ducked under the water, what was I thinking! Derek was obnoxious, manipulative and plain out rude! Whatever this thing was, it had to be a phase, you know? Once we get off this island I'll look back on these moments and want to smack myself, I 'm just so used to only seeing Derek, that my body… longed for him? Kinda like Stockholm syndrome… minus the kidnapping and shit. Yeah, that has to be it.
Week 30
Lauren POV
I had just finished the dishes when the front door buzzed, I glanced at the clock and frowned, it was nearly ten. Who would show up so late? Instantly my heart leaped into my throat, could it be Chloe? I grabbed a hand cloth and quickly dried my hands as I jogged to the front of the house.
I glanced into the peephole, the sight causing my heart to race for a whole different reason. What was he doing here? A big part of me knew Chloe was not behind the door, but what kind of aunt would I be if I stopped hoping? I grumbled and took a moment to gain composure before swinging the door open.
"Jimmy," I said trying to stifle the smile that started to creep up. I quickly glanced into his blue eyes and felt the butterflies start up again. I will admit it, I have never been so unprofessional in my life, but something about this guy made me reckless… and it's perfectly normal to just blame it on the grief.
"Dr. Fellows," he said curtly. I was taken aback by his attitude and stepped aside to allow him in. I wrapped my sweater around me tighter, suddenly feeling exposed.
"What can I do for you?" I asked as I headed toward the living room, not waiting to see if he was following.
"I'm here to inform you that I have to close the case."
"What? Why? Did Steve call it off?"
"No," he looked around the room and a ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. I blushed and tucked away a stray piece of hair, he didn't have to say anything but I knew what he was thinking.
About a month ago I ran into him at a bar and I had one too many shots, he drove me home. When we pulled up beside my house I insisted he come inside with me, and that is where I crossed the line. I kissed him and things went too far, but it didn't stop there like it should have. It's been once a week lately and I don't know how to feel about it, why am I so drawn to him?
"Care to sit?" he asked as he took a seat in the recliner. It was like deja vu, except he was fully clothed this time. I shook my head quickly and sat down in the love seat across from him.
"I originally wanted to talk to Steve about this, but I can't get ahold of him," he trailed off and picked at the armrest. Chloe uses to do the same when she was nervous.
"He's in Berlin right now, tying up some loose ends… at least that's what he told me," I mumbled and pushed away from the same piece of hair.
"Right, I came here to tell you to have no more leads, I can't possibly do anything more than I already have." I looked down at my pant leg and took a deep breath, how was this possible? No one just disappears out of thin air! "There was another passenger that had family off the plane," he took out a tiny notebook and flipped through a couple pages, my temper started to boil.
"Elizabeth Delaney, twenty-three, family located in Southern New York," he sighed and flipped the notebook shut. "I'm all out of leads, it would be a waste of time and money for me to continue this investigation." He leaned forward and lightly touched my knee, his blue eyes sparkling in the light.
"Lauren, I think its time to consider putting Chloe to rest…" I looked up sharply and pushed his hand away, how could he suggest such a thing?
"You promised us you'd find her!" I bellowed and stood up, I couldn't stay in one place.
"I promised to do my best!" He said calmly and stepped towards me. "Lauren, it's been six months, I can't keep looking for something-" I grabbed the closest thing to me—a picture frame—and threw it. Once it left my fingers I knew I was going to regret it. It was as if time was in slow motion and all I could do was watch, the picture frame hit him square in the face and then fell towards the floor. I was by his side before the picture frame even hit the hardwood floor, the sound of glass shattering didn't even register.
"What the fuck, Lauren!" He groaned and clutched his bleeding nose, I grumbled an apology as we headed toward the guest bathroom. I sat him down on the toilet and turned to the medicine cabinet, but for some reason, my eyes wouldn't focus. I looked down at my bloodied hands, and I couldn't move. I was dumbfounded really. I never let my emotions get the best of me, I felt as if I lost control of my own body!
I took a deep breath and turned the water on, washed the blood off my hands and grabbed a clean face cloth. I wrung out the excess water and crouched in front of Jimmy. He whined as I gently wiped away the blood and pushed my hand away, I sighed and placed the cloth in his hand. I watched as he stood and walked over to the sink, I took his place on the toilet and fiddled with my shirt. My mind was racing over what just happened and normally a person would apologize and beg for forgiveness, but not I. I was still pissed.
"Chloe isn't just something for you to find," I gritted my teeth and looked up at him. "She is my sisters baby, and when Jenny died… I promised I would take care of her! She's been through so much already, why the hell did she go?" My vision became impaired by the tears and Jimmy's silhouette became a blob of different colors, as if I was looking out a car window on a rainy night
I felt his hands around me, which was like a crack in a dam, all my frustration, and sadness that I have been holding in for the past six months came pouring out. Jimmy didn't do say anything, he just held me and it was everything I needed.
"We should tell Steve," I whispered into Jimmy's bare chest, I felt the laughter bubble in his chest before I heard it. "Why is that funny?" I sat up on my elbows and glared at him in the darkness.
"In all honesty, I'm scared of what he will try and throw at me," I giggled and slapped him lightly on the arm.
"I already apologized! Plus, it's not broken so quit the bellyaching!" He sat up and met my lips for a quick kiss before pushing the blankets off of him. I knew it needed to be done, but I wasn't ready just yet. I don't know what would be worse, Steve causing a scene or calmly agreeing with Jimmy. He put off work as much as he could but when his clients started threatening to drop out of their deals… well, Steve had to do something.
"Lauren?" I looked up at Jimmy as he pulled his leg through his pants, his face full of concern. "Are you okay?"
"No, but he has to know…" I whispered, suddenly freezing, I grabbed my robe and tightly wrapped it around my body. Jimmy stood there with only his pants on and gave me a hard look, eventually, he nodded and proceeded to get dressed. I took out my laptop and walked over to my desk, I tried my best to make myself look like I had not just rolled around in bed for the past two hours.
It was almost two in the morning here, so it'd almost be eight in Berlin, Steve should be awake by now. I flicked on the lamp beside me and with one last look at Jimmy— to make sure he was fully dressed— I hit call.
The laptop chimed as we waited for Steve to answer, the longer it took the more nervous I got. What would he say? How will he react? How will I react? I pulled the robed even tighter than it already was and took a deep breath, it had to be done.
"Lauren?" I jumped at the sound of Steve's voice coming from the screen, it was black, he either had his camera covered or the lights were off.
"Steve? Why can't I see you?"
"What are you— Oh! I go it," there was a ruffled around and soon Steve's face was on the screen. "What are you doing up so late?"
"I called t talk to you about something… Well, we have to talk to you," Jimmy walked up beside me and waved into the camera.
"Jimmy? What are you two doing together this late at night?"
"That's what we called you for," Jimmy said as he sat down beside me. My nerves were all over the place, one-second my heart would be racing and my hands clammy and the next I'd feel as if I was about to vomit. I took another deep breath and tried to calm down, something inside me was saying this was a bad idea.
"What do you mean you have to call off the investigation? Chloe is still missing!" Steve roared, his face turning as red as a tomato.
"I know that! I've done everything I can do, Steve!"
"Pfft, all I've seen you do was Lauren! I paid you to find my daughter, and you haven't!"
"Steven!" I snapped. So many thoughts raced through my mind, was it that obvious that we hooked up? How could he tell? This was about Chloe and me, once again, made it about me.
"Where else could I have looked? The family that wasn't on the plane weren't much help, they didn't even know their daughter was going to San Juan. The cops have no idea where the plane crashed, they have no idea if it was even on the right route! For all, I know that plane could be anywhere in the North Atlantic ocean!" Steve looked away and rubbed his eyes before letting out a long sigh.
"What about you Lauren? You agree with your boyfriend?" Steve snapped. I took a moment to think about what I was going to say, I didn't want to be harsh or take my anger out on him.
"I don't want to stop hoping she's somewhere out there, but if he's done everything he is capable of doing then maybe we should put her to rest."
"I can't just give up on her like that, and frankly Lauren, I thought you'd be the one to refuse giving up this easily!"
"I'm not—" I shouted but he already needs the call before I could even defend myself. I knew it was a bad idea, I should have listened to my gut.
"Lauren," Jimmy whispered and pulled me into a side hug and planted a soft kiss on my forehead. I wanted the comfort, but at that moment I was feeling tremendously guilty. Was I really going to give up on Chloe that easily? I always thought that if she was dead my body would know, I would feel her around me and I don't… she has to still be alive. I looked out the window and sighed, when did I ever start caring what Steve thought of me? But he was right.
"What are you thinking?" Jimmy asked.
"She's out there somewhere, I just know it. For all we know she needs help, a plane just doesn't disappear! If you don't want to continue looking for her, I will find someone who will." I looked over at Jimmy and watched his face change as he thought through everything, his silence was starting to make me nervous. Just when I was about to accept the fact that he wasn't going to help me anymore, he stood up and knelt in front of me. He gave my hand a squeeze and his lips gently grazed mine before pulling away and smiling.
"So where should we start?"
Week 31
DPOV
Rainy days suck. I grumbled as yet another raindrop leaked through the tent insulation—a term that I would use lightly— and landed the wood I was trying to save. It was going to be cold after the sun went down and the rain hopefully stopped, and there's no better way to keep warm than a fire. I threw the blue tarp over the logs and did my best to tie the strings back together.
"Derek," Chloe sang out, I froze to make sure I was actually hearing her and not imagining it. "Derek!" She sang out again, I turned to the opening of the tent and pulled back the curtain.
"What?"I yelled out over the rain, she came into view, dancing from puddle to puddle. Her long strawberry blonde hair swayed behind her like a cape, she looked more mature than when I first met her—most likely from the stress.
"Come out!" She yelled, snapping me out of my daydream.
"Why would I do that?"
"To have fun, duh!"
"I don't feel like getting sick." She stopped in her tracks and put her hands on her hips, her eyebrow raised and her mouth set in a small pout.
"Rain won't kill you, Derek!" I looked up at the sky, still dark and gloomy, the cloud looked as if they were never going to stop raining.
"It doesn't rain here often, who knows what's in the trees and now raining onto you…" I gave her a quick look over and gave her my best-disgusted face and closed the curtains. There's not much to do around here and I was getting antsy, so the next best thing to do would be the mess with Chloe. Kind of a dick thing to do, but who's going to find out? We are most likely going to die on this island.
I sat down on one side of the tent and started sharpening one end of a stick, the spear stick that I have been using for the past couple months was on its last leg. I smiled to myself as Chloe came barging in, a glare already set in place.
"Stop fucking with my head!" She yelled, wagging her finger at me. She was cute when she was mad, the way her nose scrunched up and how her eyes always looked a shade darker.
"I'm not fucking with anything," I stood up and walked towards her, noticing the way she held herself when I was around, she was trying to show me she wasn't intimidated.
"I mean, think about it, we've been here what? Six months? It's only rained one other time, now think about all the animal shit and bacteria in those trees," I stopped when I was a couple inches from her and shoved my hands into my pockets. "Which is now raining onto everything," I looked down and watched as she looked intently outside, absently wiping away the raindrop that was falling into her eyes.
I watched as she processed the information I just gave her, chewing on her bottom lip while staring out at the stormy beach. This past couple of weeks I've noticed tiny things about Chloe that if we weren't stranded I never would have noticed them. For starters; she hates the dark. There have been many nights where I'll find her sleeping by the fire instead of her tent. I originally thought it was because she was cold, so I gave her the other half of the tarp, but she denied needing it.
Sometimes I'll take a quick peek at her and she's got one eye closed and her hands in front of her face, kind of like she's taking a picture. She's only caught me looking once, and she stuttered over her explanation. The most important observation would probably be the fact that she bites her bottom lip when she's thinking up her argument. I tried to stifle the laugh I felt bubbling up in my chest, but it was no use.
"It's not funny, Derek!" She slapped my arm and glared.
"I'm not laughing," I gave her a serious face, along with my hands up in surrender before walking back to my corner. I zoned out while I sharpened the stick, my thoughts were mainly on Simon and Tori. I desperately wanted to know what happened to them, but what was I supposed to do? The raft was long gone—they probably took it. If that scenario was right then why didn't they wait for me?
I blew off the tip and inspected my handy work, it was far from done, but coming along just fine. I looked up from my work and nearly jumped out of my skin, Chloe still stood in the corner, her back to me.
"What are you still doing here?" I asked. She jumped and looked back at me, clearly, she forgot about me being here too.
"W-waiting for it to stop raining."
"You know you can do that in your own tent."
"I'm not going back out into the rain," she took in a deep breath and gave me a cold smile. "Unless you're trying to tell me you were just talking complete bullshit." She glared at me, daring me to fuck up.
"Of course not!"
"Then I'm staying here." She scooted farther in and made herself comfortable, sprawling out across half of my so-called bed— just a thick pile of palm tree leaves and half of the tarp.
"Fine, but if you annoy me once I'm kicking you out." She stuck out her tongue and rolled her back to me. This rainstorm better pass quickly or I'm going to go insane.
I woke to an empty tent with the sunlight shining its way through the curtain, I don't even remember passing out. The raining had stopped which meant Chloe was already gone, probably off exploring for seashells. Like I said earlier, there's not much to do here.
I stepped out of the tent and squinted at my surroundings, I was still disorientated from my dream to really understand where I was. It was like this every morning, I'd have a vivid dream of being home and be startled back to this reality. I walked past the fire pit and gave a quick look back to the shore, once I saw her strawberry head pop up I relaxed and walked into the woods.
On my way to my bathing spot, I decided to take a quick detour towards the squirrel traps. It felt a lot cooler, thanks to the rain, but still as humid as ever, if my math was correct then it should be around mid-September right now. Everything back home would be changing, the air would be colder and smell like leaves— something I didn't know I would miss.
I smiled to myself as I picked up the traps, each of them occupied by the dead squirrels. Chloe would be upset but after a couple of bites she should feel a lot better, living on just berries was not fulfilling. I ran the squirrels back to the camp and started the fire, the sun would be set in a half hour, and Chloe hated the dark. I placed the squirrels by the fire, they could be skinned and prepared after my—desperately needed— swim.
I jogged to the watering hole and stripped out of my shirt and as I was unbuttoning my shorts I heard a familiar scream. I wanted to ignore it, it was Chloe being Chloe, meaning she screamed at everything. She probably found the dead squirrels or stepped on a sharp rock, she's overdramatic. I shook my head and walked to the large palm tree and proceeded to relieve myself.
"Derek!" Chloe shouted, she was closer than I anticipated. I quickly made myself decent and ran towards her voice. It didn't take me long to find her, she was on all fours puking up whatever was in her stomach.
"Chloe?" I slowly made my way to her, a part of me expected her to turn around with half of her face melted off. I've been hanging around Chloe and her overactive imagination too much.
"T-t-the beach, it's j-just," she hurled once more and let out a long sob, falling back onto her knees.
"Just show me," I tried to take her hand but she pulled away.
"No, I'm not going back over there!"
"Okay, what am I looking for then?"
"Dead bodies," She whispered.
My first thought was Tori and Simon's, but it wasn't, and I had no time to feel relieved or shocked. Three purple, bloated bodies washed ashore, what I could tell from the tattered clothing, was they were from the plane. What don't I understand is why are they washing up now? Two of them were wearing flight attendant outfits, both looking like they were in their late thirties and the other looked like a twenty-year-old passenger.
The last body was putting me on edge, something about him made every part of my body burst out in goosebumps. I didn't waste any time, I went deep into the woods and started digging. I left Chloe by the fire and told her to watch the food, it'd give her something to do and also keep her out of the way.
Before I put the bodies in the grave I had to dig, I went through all their pockets and took anything that could be of use. One guy had a Zippo lighter, the other a tiny pocket knife. When I reached the last one my stomach dropped and my heart started to race uncontrollably. He looked so familiar, but for some reason, I can't pinpoint where I remember him from. I came up with nothing from my quick search, not even a form of identification. Who the hell was this guy?
I huffed and pushed him into the hole along with the other guys—it's not like he was going to tell me himself. The hole really wasn't that big, but I did the best I could with everything I had… which was nothing. I kicked in the dirt and did my best to make it look like bodies had not been buried there.
"D-Derek?" Chloe called out. I should have known she wouldn't listen to me, I didn't want her to know where the bodies were, for more reason than one. I could hear her trying to make her way to me, but I was off the path, and knowing her she'd trip and end up hurting herself.
I ran out to the path nearly taking Chloe down in the process, I steadied her quickly and directed her back to the camp. I'd have to move some big rocks over the grave so animals couldn't get to them… at least not as easily.
Just from glancing at Chloe I could tell she had been crying, her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, and her cheeks sported long tear stains. I felt for her, I wanted to take her pain away, which is out of character for me. I'm going crazy.
Shortly after dinner Chloe retired to her tent, she barely touched her food, but could you really blame her? I desperately wished Simone was still here, he'd know what to say or do to help her get through this. There was not a single bone in my body capable of comforting someone.
Feeling restless I went back to where the bodies were found, there had to be a reason as to why the bodies were here now. I knew I wasn't going to get my answers from here, but I needed to do something! I stepped onto a rock and looked down to the shore, the waves were gently crashing against the rocks. As they retreated something red caught my eye, it was hidden under one of the larger rocks, probably why I didn't see it earlier.
I carefully scaled the rocks and peeked into the abyss and from what I could tell from my location it looked like a bag. It could have possibly washed up along with the bodies or long before them… I don't usually go down to the shore so I would have no idea when this arrived.
I took all the precautions one should take before grabbing an unattended bag, I felt foolish but I wasn't risking anything, something about the bodies was setting me off. It could just be the fact that they were actually dead people and who knows how long Chloe and I have until we—
No! I will not go down that rabbit hole! Of course, Chloe and I were going to die, eventually, but I refused to die on this island! I grabbed the bag and raced back to the camp, hopefully, it contained materials useful for our time here, if not we could always use the bag for storage.
I added a couple more logs to the fire and sat down by my tent opening. The way our shelters were set up I could see into Chloe's tent at a certain angle— of course, I only look if her curtain is up. Her's faced the fire pit, while mine, directly across from hers only tilted more towards the ocean. It was useful in times like this, I wasn't certain on how to talk to her in person, what would I even say? I could still keep an eye on her and give her some space.
I unzipped the bag and dumped out its contents, first aid kit, notebook, phone…wallet! I felt a cold tingle run down my spine as I flipped it open, I shrugged it off, I was just feeling guilty about searching a dead man's belongings… right? I shook my head and proceeded to empty the wallet, out came three different bank cards, forty bucks— both unless here.
"Hey," Chloe whispered as she sat down on one of the logs, I looked up as I pulled out what looked like an ID. She looked like she had been crying again, which was odd because I didn't hear anything. I grunted in reply and turned back to the ID—which I had to do a double take on the picture and the name.
The ID belonged to Liam Malloy, I let out a nervous chuckle and flipped the card over. This had to be a joke, right? I stared at the picture and just willed it to not be true. How could I not have noticed him on the plane? Did he have something to do with Tori and Simon's disappearance?
Liam Malloy was the vilest and corrupt person I have ever met, and he happened to be good friends with Sam—my supposed fiancée. To my knowledge, they fell out of contact the night he tried to beat the shit out of me—which was obviously wrong.
It happened a couple of nights before I proposed. I was at the bar with Simon, it had been awhile since the last time I saw him. Things had gotten too serious with Sam and I didn't know how to fix the issue. I'm not good with people and I tend to be too blunt… people don't respond positively to that.
With a couple of drinks in my system, I told Simon everything that has been going on with Sam. She was controlling, she had to know where I was and who I was with at all times, if I was gone for too long she'd call my phone until I picked up. I shut my phone off once I sat at the bar and haven't touched it since. I knew she was probably freaking out, and I got cocky— I blame the beer. I planned on breaking up with her, it had to happen, I needed to focus more on school rather than what she wanted.
Sam and Liam had ambushed me at my apartment that night. I guess when I didn't pick up my phone and my apartment was empty, she sent out the dogs— Liam. You can probably already guess the outcome of that; Liam overheard everything Simon and I had been talking about and passed it along to Sam.
She was royally pissed. Everything after that is a blur, I remember saying the words, but I know I didn't mean it. I never wanted to get married, I never even wanted a girlfriend! When I woke up the next morning, there was an awful taste in my mouth… and I was engaged.
It didn't get any better from there, in fact, it got a whole lot worse. Sam's dad—Marcel Davidoff— happened to be some big shot in some brutal 'gang,' named the pack—how cliché. Shortly after our engagement, I was threatened by the pack, that if I didn't take good care of Sam I would regret it. Sure, dads typically threaten their daughters significant other, but this was different.
When Sam and I got into a disagreement on the date, I got called into her dad's office to have a talk. I was questioned on my motives for marrying Sam and I thought it was the perfect time o come clean. I was too young to get married, hell I didn't even want to be dating.
Davidoff did not take it well. Dad went missing a week later. Sam insisted it was her father's fault but I refused to believe that, and I still don't. Why the hell would Liam be on that plane? Sam and her family had left days before I did for Puerto Rico, I presumed Liam had gone along with them. I just thought Liam was Sam's puppy dog, I would never have thought she'd stoop so low and fuck him!
A noise to my left startled me out of my thoughts, Chloe sat across from me staring off into the fire. I could see tears from here, and I felt myself become uncomfortable. I've never been that great with emotions—including my own. I took a deep breath and tried to think like Simon, I have to be calm, soothing and most importantly not an asshole!
"Derek?"
"Yeah?" If Simon were here he'd tell me to take it slowly, and think about how my words can affect Chloe.
"W-when I d-die c-can…" She took a deep breath and looked back down at the fire, she was crying again. "Don't bury me next to those bodies." I was stunned, could that be why she was crying?
"Chloe—"
"Can you just promise me that?"
"No!" I grumbled, she looked up at me and glared, I could see the fire dancing in her baby blues. "You're not going to die here, we will find a way off." She gave a quick nod and folded her arms around her stomach.
I looked down at the ID still in my hands and felt anger course through my body. I was starting to think the whole plane crash was a setup, Davidoff was probably still out there pissed and nothing was going to stop him from getting to me, but I knew one thing, I was not letting him get to Chloe.
A/N: I'm so sorry for such a long break! I got in a horrible car accident and I'm slowly healing, so sorry for keeping you waiting! Hope you enjoy!
