Thirteen

A/N: Here it is. The song is, This Love This Hate - Hollywood Undead.

Disclaimer: Wishing…

Time is too precious to throw what you most desire away.

Embracing it is the gift of life. And Derek and Ethan were my life. Without either, I would be a lifeless void of pain.

I was grateful for both of them.

I was grateful for Mainim for showing me that love is only sought for what is right between two souls.

I walked over to the coat closet by the front door and took one last look at Derek. He nodded and I pulled the door open.

Mara belle fell out unconscious. "I think we may need to carry her to the cave to perform the sacrifice," I said, bending down checking her pulse. "At least she's still alive - even though she may have not bestowed the same to Ethan." I said when I stood up.

"Chloe, we do not need to be in my home with children thine," Mainim said. "I can perform the blood sacrifice."

"But I need to raise them in order to use their help, or are you saying you don't need me at all?" I questioned.

"I'm afraid not. I shall use the blood of her to arise children thine." Mainim said, walking gracefully over to where I stood. "Thou gave me thee blood to seal the promise of eternal life - for me as well as children thine."

I stared at her, and then at Derek; his face looked the same way I felt inside.

"Thou didn't think I was as dense as to let thou raise children thine just to fight thee war?" Mainim said, never blinking.

"That didn't come up…" I said. "You never said anything about that."

"What is done is done." Mainim said. "If thou backs out, thee will surly die."

I looked at Derek as he said, "Check her pockets, and then give her up. I can't lose you," he said between clenched teeth. "Now." He ordered.

I bent down and ran through her clothes as fast as I could. I found a cell phone I was sure to check for any news from the Edison Group about Ethan. I also found three daggers and a Smith and Wesson; the small revolver felt heavy in my hand as Derek leaned over to grasp it away.

He grunted, "Nice piece she had." He shoved it behind him, securing it between the waist of his pants and butt. "I'm going to let the other guys know what we're doing. I'm going to have them stationed outside and holler if anything is amiss."

He turned around and walked off, leaving me to find Mainim's eyes. "I shall need to be alone with Zather, and possibly a more secure place."

"Um, yeah. Upstairs. The attic." I said, trying not to regret what I did.

I led her up the stairs and pulled the rope to drop down the ladder for the attic.

"Child, do not fear," Zather said, "All good will come to thee."

I just nodded.

They didn't climb, but more like just faded and appeared at the top with Mara belle in Zather's arms. As I pushed the stairs back up, chills ran threw my body.

They were killing her up there. Killing her to resurrect her children. I shuddered.

In a time of need only few can see what's wrong, millions tend to crawl but only those who choose can make it through this all, only few can sing like lions 'cause we sing until we're gone, and we've got each others backs until we're back where we belong,

a woman held my shield and through the battle we did wrong,

a man who taught me wisdom through the static we recall,

and maybe when we' re gone our names will echo through the stars,

every start's got it's ending even when we've learned to rise above it all.

Arms came around me and squeezed me powerfully. I fell into Derek's arms and he carried me to the bedroom.

He laid me down while I wept for all the lives who might be lost, and who were already lost. I drew my knees into my chest, holding them with my arms. Derek molded himself behind me and held me for what seemed like hours, even though I knew it was only a few minuets. The time washed together in just heart beats. The sound of my cries carried through the room, and I felt like nothing worse could happen.

The sudden tenderness I felt from him filled the room. Weeping for the past I had to let go left my heart bleeding. In such a short time, just days, I felt more emotions than I could have thought possible. Derek arriving at my old apartment for the first time seemed like years ago. The feelings I felt when he told me he thought he wished we might still be able to be something seemed absurd now. I've changed so much in the past few days.

Chloe, are you all right?

I closed my eyes and answered, Yes. Though I'm scared.

I'm sorry for being such a jerk, really I am. You were going through so much and I was blind to it. I never thought what you must have felt like after I showed up to your doorstep.

You wouldn't have known either way, I sighed.

I didn't hear a response from him in my head and I figured he was done talking, but he held onto me tighter and thought, Can you ever forgive me? I know what I did to you doesn't give reason for anything I've done, but I want to try to make it better.

Oddly, I can forgive you. I can't say that I wouldn't have done the same thing you did given your position. All the fighting was useless, especially now because of the blood we share in Ethan.

I think we may have to thank Mainim for her wise words. Derek thought.

She talked to you as well?

Yeah, but it was probably the same thing she told you.

Mainim basically said if we can't forgive out past, what is our life worth?

Yeah, that was roughly what she told me.

I'm sorry for being so naïve and getting mad at every chance I could. I thought. That wasn't fair to you.

Fair or not fair, you couldn't help what you felt. I should have tried to make it easier on you.

These lies are leading me astray its too much for me to stay, I don't wanna live this destiny it goes on endlessly, I see you so please stay strong, I'll sing you one last song and then I'm gone, I don't wanna live this destiny it goes on endlessly.

Sighing, I rolled over to face him. The deep groves in his face were beautiful to gaze upon. I reached out and touched his face tenderly. Closing his eyes after he reached up and placed his hand on top of mine, I leaned in and kissed him.

At first, he was rock solid and didn't kiss me back. But once I started to move away, his hand went to the back of my head tangling itself in my hair and pulled my face down to his.

His lips were so soft over mine. He parted his mouth slightly, letting me lick his bottom lip and then into his mouth. A deep growl entered his chest when his hand glided to my waist and hoisted me up on top of him.

Never breaking apart, he started to unbutton my blouse, slowly one button by one button. Derek left my mouth, only to slide the shirt off my shoulders and down off my arms to the floor.

My cheeks burned when he laid back and stared at me.

I ran my hands down his chest over the shirt to grab the hem and pushed it up to his pectorals, then I softly placed kisses on his chest. He leaned forward to allow me to pull his shirt over his head.

We stared at each other. I felt his heartbeat pick up as he pushed his vision of me through his eyes into my brain. "You're so beautiful."

I blushed, "As are you, too."

"Let's argue about that later," he said grabbing me for another kiss.

After he found my mouth again, he pulled me down to turn me over onto my back. The gentleness from him was soothing, and arousing at the same time. My back arched into his chest as he softly nipped my skin with his teeth. His hand went back and unclasped my bra, throwing in down next to my shirt.

I was bare to him, and I felt completely okay. Embarrassment washed away with the look of affection he showed through his whole body.

Derek shifted off the bed still keeping his eyes on my face. He unbuckled his pants and glided them down to step out. Once he did though, he was the one to show embarrassment. His eyes were closed and he tensed all his muscles as he straightened to show me all of him for the first time.

I could see faint scars all over his body that made him seem old. Old in a warrior way. I wondered what it would have been like to be by his side after he came home with them. To be able to cleanse them the I had always wanted and dreamed about for years.

The thought of being his wife made me smile.

When I raised my head to look at his face, he was already staring intently at me. Flushing all over from his watch on me, I looked down at my own body. Nervously, I unbuttoned my own pants only to have him reach over and help me.

Let me undress you. He whispered in my head. Please?

I never felt so close to him than in that moment that followed, and I nodded my head.

And we once also had a story too, you can see that good men only come in few. Even in our greatest moments we may win or we may lose, every song's got it's rules, you've got to learn to make it through. Maybe one day we can choose how it feels to be a woman or a man, without rules but buried underneath there's a picture glued.

So when my body burns in ashes only sing the truth, Let these words strengthen all your views, because these words were meant for you.

Exhaling after collapsing to the side of me and helping me wrap myself under the sheet, he whispered into my ear, "I love you, Chloe."

I didn't say anything because he already knew my answer. He had felt it through my body.

"I wish you would have come to me first with that plan," he said. "I know I told you to raise a horde of zombies and that it was my idea, but I wish you would have told me exactly who you were going to."

"I know," I agreed. "But what's it going to hurt to have Mainim help? After we get Ethan back and destroy the Edison Group, they can be on their way and we never have to deal with them again."

"I don't think it's going to be that easy," he said under his breath.

As I was about to kiss him again, the phone buzzed from the floor under our clothes.

I looked at Derek and he had a hard expression on his face. "Should I-"

"Might as well."

I reached over and shuffled through the clothes until I grasped the phone in my hand. I opened it, and the screen said:

New Text Message

Edison Group

I sucked in a deep breath and pressed open.

Mara belle, the boy is giving us nothing to rely on. He is too faithful to his mother. The other girl isn't either and we must act. It has been way past your deadline; you haven't given us news, and we are getting agitated. We are equipping and heading out for battle.

"Shit," Derek cursed as he flipped off the bed.

"Derek, where is Tori?"

"She left after you did, saying she was going to find the whereabouts of the Edison Group." As he shoved his pants on and buttoned them, he said, "I should have never let her walk out that damn door!"

"Why didn't you stop her?" I asked, my temper rising. "You knew they were out there and you just let her go?"

"Chloe, I had my pack here, I couldn't leave them. I have a responsibility to them that you might not understand right now."

"What do you think you're doing? Going out there to find her?" I asked after he threw his shirt on. "They are coming here Derek! They're preparing for battle."

"Not preparing Chloe," he said. "They've already started it."

I jumped up and ran to one of my clothes boxes and shoved through it until I found something suitable to where, "How do you suppose to fight them? We have nothing."

As I said it, I saw something off to my right out of the window.

From the looks of it, Derek's werewolves decided to pick a fight with a group about thirty to fifty people. Their ages all ranging from merely sixteen to about thirty.

As I looked closer, right before Derek left, I could see all of them were in the same wear. "Derek, look," I said and pointed out of the window.

Derek came and leaned down to gaze out the window with me.

"Who are they?" I asked puzzled.

Derek was silent for a moment, his ears were pricking up and his eyes were sharpening.

"They aren't her children are they? The ones Mainim's rising right now as we speak?" I asked.

Derek shook his head, "They're vampires. What are vampires-?"

"Oh my gosh!" I yelped. "Mainim made vampires! That's right!" I pulled my shirt up and over my head. "Derek, you need to call off your pack before something happens!"

"I don't understand? Why would-"

"Those are Mainim's creations! She called them to join in our fight!"

Derek was out of the room before I said the last word. I looked back out the window to see one of the werewolves shoving a younger vampire. Then I heard a howl.

I jumped into my pants and ran out the door as fast as I could, only to run into a fuming Night Elven and her wicked lover.

An' now I'm floating right above my coffin as it closes I look down, I see a sigh as she's crying on my momma's shoulder. I look up into the sky as the gates to heaven open something's wrong, is this destiny or am I going home, what will happen to my soul will I come back I don't know, will you meet me when its over let me know, You can meet me here in heaven don't you ever let me go. This love this hate is burning me away…

A/N: You know how hard it is to add love scenes into a battle?

Preview to next Chapter:

Derek had handed me an AK-47 black chopper rifle and told me to use it with extreme care. He allowed me a few practice shots and I had to admit that I felt powerful with this machine within my grasp.