Chapter 30: Derek to the Rescue

Meredith did not make the kidnapping easy for James by any means. She struggled and screamed, scratching and kicking at any piece of body she could reach. At one point, she even got in a good elbow in his nose. She would have tried harder, but she was constantly reminded of the good fifty to a hundred foot drop below her. She shivered, panting and moving to get warm. It got to a point to where she actually felt her skin grow numb, the rough hold of James' hands painful to her arms. Finally, she felt the two of them going downward. She saw something rushing up to greet them. In the light of the moon, she recognized a dark wooden roof, ashy gray smokestacks spouting from the top. She braced herself.

She and James burst through the roof. Meredith felt the impact, pain throbbing through her already freezing body. It was as though every bone in her body was broken. Splinters sliced her skin, catching into her arms and face. She coughed, a few in her mouth as well. It was only a second after they had crashed through the roof that she was thrown to the ground. The pain she felt before doubled, and she could hear something snap. She cried out, clutching her shoulder blade. It hurt so badly; she was having a hard time controlling her tears. When she finally did look up, her vision was blurred to the point of giving her a headache. She attempted to focus, though she could recognize the horrid form of James looming over her. He paced lightly, his red eyes blazing through her misted eyes. A laugh echoed against her ears.

"I was beginning to think capturing you weren't worth it," he seethed. "But after watching you wriggle... I guess I was wrong." She could feel her chin being taken roughly by his clawed hand. "You do look so lovely when you're close to death." In a jagged motion, he threw her head back to the floor. She coughed, feeling bruises starting to make themselves known. She whimpered, gripping her head with her good hand. He laughed at her simpering and kicked her hard in the stomach. It winded her, and she curled up like an armadillo, clutching her mid-section. "You know..." He began to slowly walk around her. She could hear his footsteps circling her body. Like a vulture. "All that time, and you didn't call out for your precious Shepherd..." He knelt beside her and picked her up by the throat. Such an action forced her to open her eyes, observing his grotesque face. He grinned at her, his breath like a mildew ridden sweat. "Why is that?" he breathed. Meredith felt a fury and defiance rage inside of her. Not thinking before she acted, she spat in his face. He shut his eyes, a tense pause between them. Without warning, he stood and threw her across the room like a rag doll. She fell to the floor, unable to move. An oozing, oily substance made it down her face from her temple. A sadistic laugh fell from James's throat.

"Ahh..." He once more picked her up, pinning her to the wall. "Finally, you smell delicious, my dear... May I have a taste?" His tongue slipped from his mouth. Meredith tried to protest, her voice coming out in a strange, throaty noise. The wet organ seemed to stretch itself even further than the average body part. It slowly licked up the side of her head, gathering the blood. Meredith felt as though her stomach was twisting itself into disgusted knots. She nearly felt nauseous. When he was finished with that, he pulled back his tongue, his eyes glowing brighter. "You do not disappoint... I like that..." After that, he threw her once more to the ground. Meredith tried to look up, but the motion in her bones felt nonexistent at this point. She looked through her fuzzy vision and realized just where she was. She hadn't noticed before for obvious reasons, but she now could recognize the interior old sawmill. She even spotted the hole in the wall she had made the last time she and Derek were there. Her sight was blocked as James's sneering face hovered over her.

"What will he think," he continued, "when he sees your head sent to him... in a box?" He laughed and picked her up once more by the throat. He tossed her onto the old conveyor belt and pinned her down. In such a position, it almost looked like he was going to take advantage of her. He lowered his fang heavy mouth to her neck, the broken shoulder blade searing in pain at the pressure. Meredith sobbed, her heart erratic now. What was she going to do? She was at a loss. She was alone, terrified, and looking at death. How could she get out? How? Her breath became even more labored as she felt the tips of his fangs at her skin. No... she couldn't let this happen! But what to do? She took in as much breath as she could, and at the top of her lungs, she screamed:

"DEREK!"

James hesitated, his fangs pulling back a bit. There was a silence. Meredith waited... but nothing happened. Nothing. Her tears began to fall more freely as she stared at the broken roof. Soft snow had begun to fall inward, the eerie glow of the moon making the entire world seem soft. Derek hadn't come. She shut her eyes, tears burning the skin of her cold face. James's taunting laugh made it even worse.

"What did you think was going to happen?" he hissed in her ear. "Did you expect him to come in, hasten to your rescue? He probably can't even hear you. Admit it... your time is up. You've lost... And now you're mine." She cringed as the fangs once more made it to her neck. Why...? Why didn't he come? Her body swirled into a raging torrent of despair and fear. James's disgusting tongue once more made itself known, wetting the spot he was to bite. It was all over. She was going to die. She watched the snow fall, realizing what a beautiful scene it truly made. Heaven was there. Would she be accepted into such a place? Alice had said that to love a vampire is to damn herself to eternal suffering. She consoled her heart. For the first time, she ignored the excuses – the past experiences and the masks that she wore. What did she feel? It was strange... but then, in her moment of certain death, she was surer of herself then any time before.

At that moment, she was certain that she had fallen in love with Derek Shepherd.

The fangs came closer to her. She cried out as they pierced her neck. Warm blood spilled to the belt beneath her. She trembled, trying to push him off with what little strength she had. It was no use. She realized that he would now suck her dry. That's when something happened. One moment, he was on top of her, drinking her blood, and the next, she felt that terrible pressure yank off of her. Her watering eyes popped open and she looked up. The moon light frosted over the contours of his body, his eyes alight with a vengeful fire. Derek Shepherd had pulled James off of her, throwing him across the room. Without a second thought, he lunged forward, cradling her in his arms and holding her tight. She felt a warmth of reality wash over her. Trembling, she latched her good arm around his neck and buried her face into his chest.

He had come. He had heard her. He was there to save her. She had never felt so relieved in all her life. She let out a couple of sobs, gripping his neck for dear life. Derek swept her up into his arms easily, looking at her with earnest eyes. "Are you all – ?"

"ARGH!" With a yell, James tore him away, causing him to drop Meredith. She hit the floor and rolled on her side; her shoulder even more stressed from the hit. She looked up to see the two vampires struggle with one another, James screaming at him like a wild animal. Derek hit him quickly and slipped out of his grasp, jumping a good distance away from him. He took a firm stance, glaring at James defiantly. Meredith felt hypnotized by his glaring irises. A strange fear that had nothing to do with James sprung up into her. A howl of laughter came from James's side of the room.

"So, you've finally decided to play then?!" he cried hysterically. "Well come on then! Show me your true form!" Meredith's head whipped back to Derek, propping her body up with her one good arm. She was captivated. True form? Was Derek's dark gift like James's horrible transformation? She tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry. Derek growled at James before closing his eyes. His skin began to change.

Meredith watched as his once pallid white skin turned into an ashy gray... Almost black. A strange aura began to waft its way up from his form, trailing the air like smoke from a cigarette. The details of his body became duller and more simplified, the partials of his skin suddenly starting to become transparent, save for a few body pieces. His clothes fell through his body, landing on the floor. His eyes lost their corneas, becoming a solid gold. He looked as though his body had been replaced with a ghostly fog. He opened his mouth, each one of his teeth shaped in malicious cone like bones, his tongue now longer then James's. He screeched, soaring towards James in an astounding display of speed. But when he came to the vampire's chest, he didn't bowl him over. Instead, he went straight inside him. James's eyes widened. He gripped his head, crying out as though Derek was doing something inside of him. Blood dribbled from his nose, eyes, and ears. He jerked back and forth, screaming and clawing at nothing. Derek finally threw himself out, and dove back in. He began to do it several times, causing James to shift this way and that, thundering out in terrible pain. It finally got to a point to where he brought the monster to his knees. Derek pulled out, hovering above him. James glowered at him, clutching his stomach and spitting out a bit of blood. Derek soared around like a fearsome ghost, and then dove for one final, fatal hit. Inches away from James's face, he stopped. Meredith, entrapped in watching the two of them, gasped and let out a little yell of surprise. James had thrust his hand into Derek's body, grabbing his spine. Derek's ghostly face began to show pain. The heart wrenching sounds of crackling bone shot through the room. Derek wailed, his skin flickering between fog and flesh. He was losing.

Grinning through a bloody face, James yanked his hand back out. Derek snapped back into his regular form; James having torn out a good chunk of his stomach. Blood shot out, spattering them both. He fell to the floor, spasming and screaming in absolute pain. The smell of death was potent as he trembled, gritting his teeth together tightly. Meredith shook, her one shred of hope torn to pieces. James glanced over his shoulder and grinned sadistically. He kicked Derek to lay on his back. "You will watch this," he growled. Turning, he began to move towards Meredith. Derek protested weakly, trying to reach for them. Meredith scrambled backwards, now able to get motion in her legs. She then felt something against her hand. A piece of wood that broke from the roof. It was perfectly sharp at the end. She grabbed it just as James approached her. In one last attempt, she rushed up and launched the stake at his chest. He caught her wrist easily.

Meredith felt color drain from her face. Her one last chance, and it was gone. He laughed in her face, leaning forward. She could still feel his fangs from before. He would kill her now. Right in front of Derek. He opened his mouth wide, Meredith watching as blood and saliva mixed inside his mouth. He was just ready to bite her again, when he was jerked back. "What!?" He looked at his wrists. Derek had run up behind him and grabbed them with as much power as he could.

"DO IT MERI!"

Without a second thought, Meredith sent the stake into James's chest. His eyes widened as deep crimson shot out from the wound. She shut her eyes to guard herself from the spatter. She could hear the sounds of gurgling as the creature died, his body falling to the ground. She opened them back up to see him collapse. He was dead.

Meredith stood over him, the bloody stake still in her hand. He had changed back to his original form before going still. His eyes stared at nothing above him, a gaping hole now where his heart once was. Meredith couldn't bring herself to realize that she had just killed something. However, slowly, she did begin to come to terms with it. Doused in his blood, holding the thing that ended his life, she knew now that it was over. Her eyes fell to Derek. It took a second before he stumbled backwards, his hands going to his own wound. He let his gaze fall on her before his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he fell. Meredith rushed to him, kneeling beside him and letting his head rest on her thighs. He crumbled in pain, gripping himself tightly. Sweat and blood intermingled, dripping from every pore of his body. He panted and groaned, a couple of tears making themselves known. What could she do? Was he dying too? Her body hurt as well, but she knew that it was nothing compared to the Hell he was going through. She felt fear take a whole new hold on her. Meredith gripped him close. He couldn't even speak. Blood was starting to spread, darkening both of their clothes. What was she to do? Her eyes wandered to her hand. She still held the stake. Slowly, an idea came to her head. Derek seemed to notice the stake as well through his pain. They looked at one another. She knew what she had to do. Very slowly, she lifted the stake, and shifted him in her grasp. His eyes lingered on the wooden weapon before closing. He seemed content with whatever she was to do. She brought the stake down... and slit her own palm.

Tossing the stake to the side, she held him up as best she could with a broken shoulder, and held the hand to his mouth. His eyes opened and he stared at her, confused. "Just don't bite," she said softly. His gaze fell to the hand. Like a hungry dog, he gripped her palm and sat up, lapping at it with his hot tongue. He panted, licking and drinking her blood. She could feel the tips of his fangs as he licked up her blood. She knew what kind of risk she was taking. She offered him her blood. If his teeth pierced her skin... she would become a vampire. But they never did, and she remained human. Finally, he finished, letting his head settle on her unbroken shoulder. He caught his breath as they held each other, mingled with sweat, tears, blood and pain.

Finally, it was over. Meredith let a smile come to her face as they embraced, gently swaying back and forth. He pulled back from her, looking her in the eye. His fingertips trailed her sticky cheek. "Thank you..." Meredith took his cold hand and pressed it to her face, the sensation cooling her skin. She looked at him earnestly.

"...I love you..."

She admitted it. Alice's threat was now real. Would she be doomed to a life of torment now? Would she be led down a path of sadistic, self-destruction? Will she lose her sanity? Or perhaps die all together? Whatever her future... she knew she could not deny her heart any longer. She loved him. There was nothing she could do about it.

A tender smile came to his face. Leaning in, he let their lips touch briefly, the salty taste of her blood on his mouth. He pulled away then, petting her hair with one hand. "I love you too..." he said softly. Those three words were enough to bring her to tears. She shut her eyes and leaned forward, laying on him.


What do think about Derek's dark gift? Also, I am just a couple of chapters away from the ending of the first book. Are you excited?

~ Charlie xoxo