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Riiing-

For a few seconds, Aaron and Spencer just stared at each other, both seemingly frozen by the sudden sound disrupting them.

Spencer, who had been tense almost to the point of breaking already because of their agitated conversation, felt his heart stutter.

His phone-

For a second he forgot what they had been talking about, forgot to keep assessing Aaron's reaction to his pleading demand, his desperate prayer that he was getting through to him with his words, convincing him.

The sound of the phone filled his brain and he instinctively grabbed for it in his pocket -only to find it empty.

Aaron watched silently, and when Spencer's eyes flickered back up to his, confused and alarmed, his face seemed to fall, the expression in his eyes shifting from simply emotional to something darker. Spencer watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone, expression unreadable as he held it up.

"Penny," he said curtly after glancing at the screen.

Spencer very barely kept himself from trying to snatch the phone from the vampire's hand at that. Although a second ago he had been almost positive he was winning him over, getting him to stop what he was doing by appealing to his conscience...he still felt fear constricting his chest then. Aaron wouldn't keep the phone...wouldn't take this from him, too...would he?

"Please give it back," he asked, breathless, voice much too small and tense. Far from the determined and casual tone he had been aiming for.

Aaron was still for another long moment, his expression unreadable, and Spencer already felt his gut coil in misery -but then the vampire sighed in defeat, handing him the phone. Spencer didn't take his eyes off Aaron's dark ones, unblinking as he reached out to curl his fingers around the gadget, their hands brushing in the process. Aaron's lips quirked into what was not quite a smile, seemingly in concession.

Spencer didn't consider the meaning of this action -whether he should be relieved now, if it meant the end of all this madness, if he needed to thank the man- he was too distracted by actually seeing Penelope's name on the screen.

He hit the answer button in under a second.

"Penny?"

He had to hear her voice, make sure she was alright...he had to tell her-

"Spencer?"

His breath caught at the familiar voice calling his name.

It wasn't Penny.

"Derek...?" he whispered, voice cracking and eyes immediately filling up with tears.

In front of him, he heard Aaron draw in a sharp breath and drew back instinctively, cursing himself for saying that name out loud and clutching the phone in a death grip...as though that would help him should the vampire decide to end the call now.

He flashed him a pleading look. Please, no, don't take this from me- my best friend, I thought he was dead-

Aaron frowned deeply, clearly unhappy, but he didn't move. Spencer let out a breath of relief but couldn't get himself to stop clutching the phone until his knuckles turned white.

"Spencer, are you okay?" Derek was talking, tense and rushed. "I thought- I saw- but you're-! Where are you? What happened to you? Are you hurt?"

Spencer closed his eyes, momentarily overwhelmed by the immense relief of knowing his best friend was alive...but also by the new anxiety that his call brought.

What would happen now? Aaron had told him multiple times already that he couldn't go see Derek...that he was dangerous because of his connection to David, because he was a-

He pushed that thought away, trying to focus.

What could he do? He wanted, needed to see Derek...but he was stuck here...wasn't he? He had no address to give to Derek...and even if, could he risk his best friend crossing paths with the vampires?

With all those questions swirling inside his head, he quickly began feeling sick.

"I'm-" he swallowed, fighting to keep his composure despite the despair he slowly felt rising inside him, "No, I'm not hurt."

That much was true at least.

He didn't know what else he could say, at what point Aaron might interfere. The vampire still looked immensely unhappy with what was happening...like he was barely holding himself back...

Spencer decided he couldn't risk it. He hadn't talked to Derek in forever, and missed him so much, and he had no idea when he'd get the chance again. He couldn't give Aaron a reason to take the phone.

"Are you alright?" he asked instead, "And Penny? How did you-? We were looking for you...we thought you were d-"

"I made a mistake, Spencer." Derek said gravely, "I trusted the wrong people."

It was obvious he was talking about David and his manipulative scheming.

"You know what he did-" That he tried to kill me.

"Yes..." Derek sounded pained, and pissed, ad panicked all at the same time. "I swear I didn't know. He's insane, Spencer. I left, ran with Penny, and now we're hiding out at her place."

Spencer sighed in relief. At least they were safe.

"Tell me where you are," Derek was still rushing through the conversation, anxious. "I'll come find you. It isn't safe out there for you alone."

Spencer bit his lip, forcing a long in- and exhale before answering. "I- I can't."

"What do you mean? Where are you?"

"I...with Aaron. He's the PI that-"

"No!" Derek shouted, suddenly sounding horrified, "Spencer, no, you can't- you have to get away from him right now! He's dangerous, just as much as Dave! He's-"

"-a vampire? Yes, I've realized." Spencer could hear his own voice breaking mid-sentence, unable to help it. He took another deep breath, stomach churning, "And you...Derek, are you really...?"

He still didn't want to ask, but he had to. Had to hear it from Derek himself.

The silence that followed his question was deafening and his heart sank. Derek wasn't denying it.

"Spencer..." the other said after a tense moment, sounding almost afraid, "It's nothing- You're my best friend. You know I would never do anything to-"

"I know." Spencer sighed, interrupting.

He wasn't sure if he actually did...after all he wasn't sure of Aaron anymore either after finding out and that was sort of the same thing, wasn't it? He'd known Derek forever, yes, but he knew nothing about this whole supernatural world except that it scared him.

Despite that, he desperately needed to believe Derek that everything would be okay. He couldn't be afraid of him, too. He wouldn't be.

Derek hadn't killed anyone...that he knew of.

He shook his head. "I know. Don't worry about it, Derek."

"Okay." Derek breathed a sigh of relief, "Okay. Then meet me-"

And just like that, back to being miserable.

"Derek, I-" It was physically painful to have to do this, to hear Derek upset, but he didn't know what to do, or say anymore. He looked to Aaron pleadingly, just praying for him to tell him he'd let him walk out.

The decision he saw in the vampires eyes then was not the one he'd been hoping for though. Before he could protest Aaron suddenly took the phone, bringing it to his own ear.

"What Spencer is trying to tell you, Derek," he stated levelly, "is that he can't see you because I won't let him."