Okay, so I know that I'm supposed to be updating both Holiday Happenings and Title Pending, but I still feel inspired to write for this story so I'm writing the epilogue early. A lot of you will be disappointed in this. I know a lot of you wanted me to do it for when their married, but that was farther than I had in mind. In fact, I had already planned on doing it for a specific time, so I'm sticking with that. But I think that I will eventually write a one-shot or two based off this story.

The answer to the last riddle was if you're a mouse.

Disclaimer: I do now own The Darkest Powers

This takes place two weeks after the last chapter. Christmas break has just ended.

Chloe's POV

"I can't believe you overslept by half an hour," Beth said, sitting on my dresser while I stumbled out of bed and over to my closet. "They're going to be here any moment."

"I know, I know," I said. "I've been sleeping in for two weeks. Give me a break."

She sighed and looked down at her nail. When she looked up, she gave me a repulsed look. "You're wearing that?"

I looked down at my outfit. I had went with a pair of jeans that definitely needed a patch job and Derek's dark blue sweatshirt, which he still didn't know I had.

"What's wrong with it?" I asked.

"These people haven't seen you in two weeks and that's what you're showing them?" she asked. "At least give them something to stare at."

"I've tried that before, remember? It backfired," I said, my hands on my hips.

"But-"

"They're here," a voice said from by the door.

I looked over and smiled. Austin stood by the door with his hands shoved in his pockets. I hadn't heard a knock on the door, so assumed they were still downstairs, which meant he was trying to distract Beth. I grabbed my bag and walked past him, mouthing 'thanks' as I went by. Austin's presence was becoming as familiar as Beth's. He was still a little timid around me, but I've noticed some changes. He was becoming a little bolder, but only around Beth. Nobody but me could see him, so he didn't have to worry about embarrassing himself. Beth knew that she was free to leave at any point, even though I would miss her, but she firmly stated that she was going to stay by my side until I learned to stop being so clumsy…or until I move in with Derek. I tried explaining to her that I may never move in with him, but she was confident that I would someday, not that I would complain.

The last two weeks were Christmas break, which meant two weeks with no school and two weeks hanging out with Derek with almost no interruptions. It did help that Simon was distracted with making out with Maggie, not that she knows I know, and Tori was busy building a friendship with Liz. They went out shopping almost every day, to Kit's wallet's dismay. And because they were busy, I finally got to kiss Derek without somebody walking in and ruining the moment. We spent most of our time at his house, but occasionally we were here. Dad had required Derek to come over to dinner one night to get to know him, which was Dad's way of saying that he approved but he had to act like a parent once in a while. He still doesn't know about what I am. Someday I'll tell him, but I think the fact that I have a boyfriend is enough new for now. Aunt Lauren, on the other hand, had a long talk with me after things had cooled off after the fight. She had sat me down and explained some things to me, like we're my powers came from. She felt really guilty about keeping me in the dark about them, but I easily forgave her. She also told me more about the group of people that we fought, like how she used to be one of them. I was more surprised at that, but I had heard from Derek that his dad had also been part of it. She explained to me that she quit her job from the hospital to take the job at the school because she knew that uneducated humans weren't equipped with the knowledge of how to deal with supernaturals when it came to their health. She also talked about Derek. Being that loving aunt that she is, she felt the need to find out as much about him as she could…to make sure he wasn't a bad influence for her niece, namely me. I don't think she found out anything bad, because she hasn't had any more talks with me, but she gets this look on her face whenever we start to act couply. I think it's the loving aunt part of her, but I can't be sure.

"Bye Dad," I said, walking into the kitchen and grabbing an apple before heading for the door.

"Hold on," he said. I turned around to see what he was doing, but his back was turned. I heard him shuffling through his briefcase before he found what he was looking for and turned around. "Can you do me a favor? Can you give these to the office at your school for me?"

"What are they?" I asked, grabbing the papers and putting them in my bag.

"Building plans and the like," he said. "I've been hired to plan the reconstruction of the gym and also some new additions to the school."

"But you build apartments," I pointed.

"That's what I choose to do," he said. "Not what I'm capable of doing. I can plan other building styles, too."

"Wait, what about the business trip to China?" I asked.

"I can't work on the school from China, now can I?" he asked, smiling.

I grinned and asked, "How long is it going to take you to complete the school?"

"Well, these things can stretch out a while," he said. "I don't think I'll be going anywhere for a while."

I was about to run over and hug him when I heard a knock on the door. I settled for a smile and walked out of the kitchen. I knew who was on the other side of the door, so I took my time, making him wait. When I did get to the door, I made sure to take my time zipping up my jacket getting my bag over my shoulders just right. I opened the door to see Derek leaning casually against the door frame.

"Hi," I said, walking out and shutting the door.

"Hey," he said.

He started turning around, but I grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pulled down until my lips could reach his. I could feel his lips turn up in a smile and he gripped my waist lightly while I said good morning. When I pulled back, he smiled down at me and then turned around. I followed next to him into the elevator.

"You ready to go back to school?" I asked.

"Not really but Dad wouldn't let me stay home," he said. "Apparently my education is important."

"But does anybody actually learn anything at school?" I asked.

"That was my point," he said.

"I'm guessing he didn't buy it?" I asked.

"Unfortunately," he said. "How about you?"

"I slept in," I said. "I'm not ready to even wake up at a normal time. And I'm a little wary. I wonder how different things are going to be."

"Well, half the teachers are either dead or probably fired, the principal and vice principal are both dead, and about a quarter of the student body are gone," he said. "I'd say it'll be different."

"Think we'll get any weird looks?" I asked.

"I'm counting on it," he said.

We stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby. Once we were outside, he opened the car door for me and I slid in. Simon was in the back with his head pressed against the window and his eyes closed.

"What's with him?" I asked.

"Dumbo decided it would be a good idea to spend Christmas break seeing how long he could stay up," Tori explained.

"But he seemed so awake," I said.

"That was after an entire pot of coffee," she said.

"No coffee this morning?" I asked.

"He drank it all yesterday," Derek said, starting the car and pulling out. "Dad wasn't too pleased with him this morning when he couldn't have his coffee."
We rode in silence to the school and then Derek tossed his bag at Simon, effectively jolting him awake. I laughed at the look on his face and then followed Derek out. We all walked in together and the first thing I noticed was the excited bustle in the halls. It was not what I was expecting. I noticed a few faces missing, but for the most part it was the same.

"This is weird," I said.

"I really agree," Derek said. "Come on, let's get to our lockers."

I followed behind him and looked back at Simon, who shrugged and walked with us. Tori was the first to branch off when she saw Liz. The latter waved at us and then walked off with Tori.

"There's Maggie," I said to Simon, smiling back at him. He grinned and nodded his goodbye before joining her.

We stopped at my locker first and then continued on to his. I watched all the people as I waited for him and noted that the majority were smiling, happy to be back with their friends.

"Their happiness really isn't contagious," I pointed out.

"Pity," Derek said, sarcastically.

I smiled back at him and shook my head. I opened my mouth to speak when there was a buzz and then a voice started over the intercom. It was Mr. Drake's voice.

"Please report to the cafeteria for a morning assembly. Thank you."

"I was expecting this," Derek said.

"Why was Mr. Drake calling everybody to the cafeteria?" I asked.

"Because our principal's gone and can't make the call from the other side," he said.

"Smart ass," I said. "Come on. I want a seat."

He followed behind me to the cafeteria. It was filling up fast and I could see that it was going to be difficult to find seats. I glanced over the room and my eyes stopped at a table at the far side of the room. It was empty except for one person, who was now watching me warily. I looked back at Derek and he nodded. We dodged through the throng of people until we got there.

"Can we sit?" I asked.

"Sure," Rae said, sliding her bag closer to herself. I noticed she had a cut on her arm that was still healing.

"How was your break?" I asked, keeping my tone light.

"Fine," she said. "I mostly watched TV."

"I didn't do much either," I said. "Mostly relaxed."

She nodded and looked down. I looked over at Derek. He didn't say anything, but I knew that he didn't disapprove of me talking to Rae. He knew it was important to me. I heard voices calling from across the room and I looked over to see Jake and Simon trying to break through the crowd. I winced as I saw Simon get elbowed in the stomach. He still looked like he was in pain when he sat down. Jake plopped down next to him and Maggie sat down on his other side. Tori and Liz soon followed.

"What do you suppose this is about?" Simon asked.

Derek looked at me and I knew he was fighting back a sarcastic answer.

The sound of a microphone turning on caught my attention and everybody turned to the doors. Mr. Drake was standing in front of a microphone waiting for everybody to quiet down.

"I know this is kind of tight quarters, but if you could all try and keep calm for a few minutes, I'll try and hurry this up. As you know, the Friday before break we had an accident in the gym and lost fellow students as well as faculty. If we could take a moment of silence to honor those we lost."

I thought of Austin, who was probably still at my place with Beth. I had a feeling he was happier as a ghost than he was alive. I also thought of the other side. I didn't like them, but they were still human beings. I thought of Mr. Davidoff and Mrs. Enright and I thought of Liam and Amber, who were probably on Derek's mind and of Ramon and Royce. There were many more, but I didn't have time to consider them all before Mr. Drake started talking again.

"As you all know, our gym is…well, it's demolished. Because of this, all gym classes will be moved to the second floor commons. And because of the excessive loss in teachers, there were some changes to the classes until we can bring in new teachers. All history classes will be combined with theatre classes and will meet in the theatre room. All English classes for all grades will be combined and will meet in Mrs. Hart's room. All math classes will be combined for all grades and will meet in Mr. Griggs' room. All sciences and languages will proceed normally. All other electives will meet in the cafeteria. Because of the loss of our administrative faculty, I will be taking the role of principal until one can be found and Ms. Lowenberger will act as vice principal. If anyone has questions, please feel free to ask. You're all excused."

The crowd erupted in chatter as they got up and left. We stayed behind to talk to Mr. Drake. When enough people had left, we made our way over to him. He saw us coming and smiled.

"Congratulations you guys," he said. "I'm very proud of you all."

"What did we accomplish?" Tori asked.

"Well, I don't think they'll stop," he said. "But I think it will take them a while to come up with another plan of action."

"So we just slowed them down?" Simon asked.

"You stopped them," Mr. Drake answered. "But that doesn't mean they'll stop trying. The important thing is that while they're reconvening, they can't eliminate anyone."

"What happens the next time they attack?" I asked

"Let's hope it's long enough away that we can build up our defenses and recruit more help," he said. "Now, the bell is about to ring and I wouldn't want anyone to be late for class."

We said our goodbyes to him and to each other and branched off to our classes.

…,,,…

"Okay everyone," the biology sub said. "I have here your graded projects. Your teacher specifically wanted to me to tell you that your grades aren't necessarily the same as your partners."

I exchanged a look with Simon and sank down in my seat. When he finally called my name, I grabbed my graded paper and tucked it in my bag face down. I didn't want to know until school was over so that it wouldn't ruin my day.

…,,,…

"Why do you look so worried?" Derek asked, sitting next to me on top of a cafeteria table. We were waiting for everyone to arrive so that we could leave. We were all going out for an ice cream and a movie.

"I got my project back for biology," I explained.

"How did you do?" he asked.

"I don't know," I said. "I haven't checked yet."

He reached for my bag and looked through before finding the paper and looking at it.

"I don't know why you're freaking out," he said. "You got an A."

"What!" I squealed and reached over. I snatched it from his hands and looked at the large A gracing the top of the page. Grinning broadly, I forgot where I was and started my victory dance. I almost finished it this time, when my foot got one of the seats and I shot forward. Derek grabbed my waist and stopped me. I looked up at him and blushed at the amusement on his face.

"That was your victory dance?" he asked, trying hard to contain his laughter.

"Yes, chuckles, it was," I said.

He pulled me closer to him so that I was pressed against him. I looked at his lips and back up at his eyes.

"Can you do it again?" he asked, smiling.

I laughed and threw my arms around his neck. Our kiss wasn't long because we were in the middle of the school cafeteria, but it didn't lack for breathlessness. I remained pressed comfortably against Derek's side when everybody started coming into the room. Maggie and Simon were first, followed by Tori and Liz. We waited another five minutes for Jake, but he didn't show.

"Where is he?" I asked. There was a buzz as the intercom went on and my eyes widened, looking at Derek. He looked at me, remembering and glanced at Simon, who was grinning broadly and turning his phone on to the camera.

"Students and staff," Jake's voice sounded.

"What the hell is he doing?" Tori asked.

"I, Jacob Shaw, pledge my eternal love to Victoria Enright," he said. "That is all."

Tori didn't say anything, but her face and clenched fists did. She was beyond pissed. I swear I could see the steam coming out of her eyes. She launched herself for the door and I hoped Jake had a good head start.

We all burst out laughing and I ended pressing into Derek's side to try and contain my laughter. I was gasping for breath and couldn't seem to stop. I could feel Derek shaking with his own laughter. After five minutes, we finally caught our breath.

"Think this will put a damper on their relationship?" Simon asked.

"What relationship?" Liz asked.

"We caught them making out in the library after lunch," Simon said, gesturing to him and Maggie.

"What!" Liz said. "This is something you tell us when it happens!"

"Slipped my mind," Simon said. "I got distracted."

"Yeah, by your own making out," Derek said.

Maggie looked away, smiling. Simon just shrugged. Derek stood up to go and we followed.

"Shouldn't we do something about Jake and Tori?" I asked.

"Yeah," Derek said. "Hope that he can run."

And that's it. All done. The end. Like I said at the beginning, I probably will eventually write a one-shot or two based on this story. But for now, farewell. Stay tuned for the list of story options.