/AN: Hey everybody! So, I don't know if I told all of you or not, but I'm working on writing this story into a new notebook, because the old one was falling apart. I said I wasn't going to update until then, but I figured after waiting so long for the last chapter – and since I have no clue when I'm going to finish copying everything into the notebook – you guys deserve an update. So with out further ado: Chapter Six: Awake and Alive. PS. This chapter has been edited.

Disclaimer: I wish I owned it. But I don't./

Derek's POV

Dad let us take the van down to the hospital. Tori, Lucy, and Mason stayed at the house with Dad. We were doing a three man rescue. Marlee decided that because Chloe was healing so fast and the doctors were becoming baffled, we needed to get her out of the hospital and back the to the house. Now that Chloe was awake and breathing on her own, Marlee had the equipment to take care of her properly.

Simone drove. Mostly because I couldn't sit still. I had never felt this… giddy before. The ride was mostly silent. And then I remembered that right before we got the call about Chloe, Simon said he had something to tell me that he deemed important. "Hey, Simon. What was it that you were going to tell me about Chloe?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"When you were yelling at me a few hours ago. You said before I write Chloe off that there's something important that I should know. What was it?"

"Uh… I don't think it's my place to say."

"What changed with in those last few hours?" I asked.

"Look, I'm not going to tell you. I wasn't even supposed to know in the first place and then—"

"Know what, Simon? What are you not telling me?"

I watched as Simon twiddled with his thumbs on the steering wheel. "Just, talk to Chloe. She's the only one that can tell you. I'm not going to spill the beans again."

"Again? How many more people know?" Simon stayed silent. "You're fucking kidding me, right? I'm the only one who doesn't know this big secret?" I ran my hands through my hair.

"Like I said I wasn't even supposed to know. And then I freaked out and called Dad and he had me on speaker phone. It's not my fault that you were outside when I fucked up." I rolled my eyes as we pulled into the hospital driveway.

I sat in the seat for a few minutes. "Are you gonna be okay?" Simon asked.

I looked at him. "Yeah. I'm just.. Nervous. What if she's still royally pissed at me? I don't know how to fix walking out on her like I did. What if… what if it can't be fixed?

Simon thought for a moment. "The way I see it, Chloe woke up and asked for you. I don't think she'd do that if she planned on ripping your throat open. Just, talk to her. Apologize. That's the best advice I can give you."

He handed me the walkie talkies we used. "I'll stay here until you guys are ready. Take your time."

I nodded and opened the car door. "Thanks."

"Oh and Derek? Don't walk out on her again. Even if it's to think. I turned out badly last time. I don't think we'll get so lucky again."

"Noted." I headed towards the hospital. Marlee met me at the entrance of the ICU. To my surprise, she hugged me when she saw me. Now I knew something was up. Marlee touching people affectionately? Mason's more likely to do that and he's a hedgehog. "How is she?"

"Better. She can breathe on her own now and by my calculations at the rate that she's healing, her arm should be healed. She's still very weak and she's very emotional right now. Just take your time. She really wants to see you." She pulled me in for another hug. "When you're ready, send a redbird to Simon. He'll call me and we'll get things started." I nodded.

Chloe's POV

I wiggled my toes. It was nice to be back in my own body again. I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to get back. When I went into a coma, I ended up in the spirit realm where Liz found me. She helped me get back into my body. She's also the one who informed me of my pregnancy.

Liz disappeared while I kept trying to get back into my body. Turns out she was spying on the doctors that had been taking care of me and over heard my blood test results.

I sighed and twiddled with the bed sheets. Derek had been a big distraction for me while I was trying to return to the earth plane. Our mate link must've been strong because I had left his emotions over the past few days. And the flashbacks of our life over the past few years kept holding me back. He's lucky I even made it back at all. Liz said the longer my spirit stayed in Limbo the more complicated it would be to get out.

I heard a know at the door and looked up. "Come in." Derek cautiously came through the door and came close to the end of the bed, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Hey." I said. I winced slightly, my throat still sore from the tube.

"Hey." His voice came out as almost a whisper. Well. This isn't awkward at all. "I—" He paused. "I'm sorry. I wasn't there when you needed me. And I may have reacted badly to the news you shared."

"You think?" I said sarcastically.

He sat on the end of the bed. "To be honest, I was in shock. It wasn't something that I had expected. I left to think. I didn't leave because I was pissed off. But the way I avoided you the week after was uncalled for. And for that I'm sorry too. I'm just bad with people—and I know that's no excuse—"

"No. It isn't."

He sighed. "Chloe, if there is anyway that I could fix this… or take it all back, I would. I love you and that will never change—"

I leaned forward and kissed his lips briefly before pulling away. "You're forgiven." I laid my forehead on his and crawled into his lap. "There's nothing you need to fix." Derek snuggled his face into my neck, breathing deeply.

"I missed you." He whispered.

"I missed you too." We sat like that for what must've been forever. I was almost asleep when I felt something wet on my shoulder. I swiveled and looked at Derek. "Hey, I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere, okay?" I hugged him around the neck as best I could with the cast on my arm. I'd never seen him like this… it was scary.

"I thought I'd lost you, Chloe. I didn't know what to do with myself anymore. I was just… numb." He said holding on to me like a child who'd been separated from his mother for too long. He sobbed silently into my shoulder.

"I'm sorry…" I squeezed my eyes shut, willing them to stay dry. "I'm so sorry. I never should've left the house. I was just pissed off and upset. I wasn't thinking clearly."

Derek took a breath and pulled away slowly, furiously wiping at his eyes. "It's not your fault. I should've know you were going to get into trouble. You always do." He replied with a smile. He sighed as if trying to gather his thoughts again. "Okay. We need to get you out of here."

"What are you talking about?"

"Marlee said if you stay here any longer the staff is going to get suspicious with how fast you're healing. So she wants to move you back to the house now that you're not on the brink of death." Derek said. He pulled a walkie talkie out from his jean pocket. "Simon, RedBird C1. Over."

"RedBird C1 copy that. Moving in. Over." Simon's voice came in through the static.

"You're seriously doing a RedBird on me?"

"What do you think C1 stands for?" He asked. "Did you get amnesia too?" he replied light heartedly. I rolled my eyes.

"Redbird" was our term for a rescue. "C" stood for Chloe and "1" meant one person. And they were deemed the most important, dangerous, and the top priority.

Marlee came in and brought some clothes. "Put these on." She handed me one of Derek's black t-shirts and a pain of lounging pants. After Derek removed my IV, and helped me into the new clothes, we walked out quickly, hoping no one would notice.

"It's cold out." Derek wrapped his jacket around my shoulders. A police car with it's lights on drive past. "We're not moving fast enough." Derek picked me up and ran across the parking lot to the van, slamming the door open and jumping in after me. Marlee was already there. "Simon, let's go."

When we were finally out on the open road, Simon looked in the rear view mirror at me. "It's nice to have you back, Chloe."

I smiled. "Thanks, Simon. I'm glad to be back." The rest of the ride was silent. I was still sore from the accident and wanted nothing more than to get this cast off my arm and relax. Derek held me in his arms the entire ride. At some point he fell asleep as did Marlee and I was left talking to Simon.

"So how are you feeling?" He asked tentatively. Marlee told me that Simon had found out about the baby.

"About the same as I was a week ago… but then again, I haven't been awake long enough to really notice anything else either." I paused. "Does Derek know?" I asked, softly.

Simon shook his head. "No. I think he suspects, though. He's not an idiot, though these last few days might say otherwise." I raised a brow. "The only reason he's asleep right now is he's finally letting his body rest. All he did while you were… out, was prowl around in wolf form, hit a punching bag or listen to that god damned iPod of yours. He didn't eat, he didn't sleep… It wasn't fun to watch. So now that he knows you're okay, he's allowing sleep. Mind you, he'll probably be following you around like a lost puppy for the rest of your life."

I giggled at that. "Yeah that sounds like Derek." Finally we pulled into the winding road that led to the manor.

"When are you going to tell him?" Simon asked.

"Tonight. As soon as I get him alone. He needs to know."

Simon nodded. "Good. I suck at keeping secrets."

I laughed. "I'm guessing you're the reason everybody knows?"

I caught Simon's sheepish smile in the rear view mirror. "Guilty as charged." I rolled my eyes in amusement.

As Simon pulled into the driveway, Derek woke and we climbed out of the car. "Chloe, if you'll come down to the lab, I'll get that cast off for you."

My eyes lit up. "That'd be great, Marlee. Thanks." Derek grabbed my hand as he led me to the house.

"Be prepared for a barrage. Lucy and Tori just about went crazy." Simon said, coming up behind us.

"Especially Tori." Derek said.

I gave a confused look to Simon. "Don't ask. All I'm gonna say is they've had it out with each other enough the last few days to last a life time."

Marlee unlocked the door. "We're home!" She called. Those two words seemed to work magic on the seemingly empty house. Lucy and Mason came down the steps… well Mason walked. Lucy ran… sorta. Tori came out from the kitchen and Kit ascended up the lab steps. Tori and Lucy attacked me in a group hug.

"Oh my go, Chloe. I'm so sorry! I'm never driving again. Ever. Ever. Ever." She half sobbed half yelled into my shoulder.

"Tori, it's fine. It wasn't your fault." I hugged her and tried to get her to calm down.

"Chloe you almost died and I was driving. I'm taking responsibility, the least you could do is forgive me."

I shot a "help!" look to Simon. "I told you so," he mouthed.

"Tori, it wasn't your fault." I replied firmly. "But if it'll make you feel better, I forgive you." I said. Tori gave a shaky sigh and pulled away, wiping her eyes.

"Kay. I can die without any regrets now." She said. I smiled, and looked to Lucy who was still holding onto me.

"Luce, I missed you too, but I need my arm back." I said, with a laugh.

Lucy pulled away. "Sorry. I just… wanted to make sure this wasn't a dream."

"Welcome back," Kit said, finally. I looked to Mason who had taken a spot beside Lucy. He nodded as if agreeing with Kit's statement.

"Alright give the girl some air." Marlee commanded. Mason seemed much obliged and sauntered off to another room. Lucy and Tori lingered but backed off. Kit returned to his work in the lab. "Chloe, there's not a lot of room in the basement so I'll bring the saw up here." Marlee said, leaving for the lab. I nodded.

Derek grabbed my hand once more and led me to the couch in the entry way. "So… what's up with Mason?" I asked, noticing that he was a tad more stand offish than usual.

Lucy averted her eyes. "Chloe, it's not you he's upset at… he's just… upset at the world. I'm the only thing he's got and when the accident happened he just back tracked all of the emotional and social progress he's made. I think it's because he doesn't want to get close to anyone else… and this was just too much of a close call." Lucy explained.

"Oh…" Finally, Marlee came in with the saw. It looked like an electric pizza cutter. Marlee plugged it into an outlet on the wall.

"Chloe just hold your arm out and relax." She said. I did as she was told and in a matter of minutes, I was free to move my arm again.

I flexed my arm, my elbow, my wrist. It felt amazing! "Good as new. Thanks again, Marlee."

She gave a small smile. "Anytime."

I looked at the clock on the wall. It was only five pm. But I just wanted a bath and to sleep. "As much as I've missed you guys, I'm still recuperating and I really just want to take a bath and rest for the rest of the day."

"Well don't let us stop you," Tori said, waving me away. "Shoo. Go get some rest. We'll be here when you get up."

Lucy agreed enthusiastically. "Yup. We aren't going anywhere."

Simon came in from the kitchen. "We're still on lock down. Go sleep. Doctor's orders."

"Alright, alright, I'm going." I replied, halfheartedly.

Derek helped me rise off the couch and walk into the other room. "I'm gonna take a bath. You need to eat." Derek opened his mouth to protest. "I don't want to hear it. You got tattled on, so I know you haven't eaten in days. So eat, and then you can join me."

"Damn you, Simon…" Derek mumbled. Derek kissed me and retreated into the kitchen.

I slowly made my way up the steps to our room. I walked into the bathroom and let the tub fill, using the time to grab an old shirt of Derek's and a pair of underwear and some sweatpants. When the tub filled, I stripped my clothes off and stepped into the tub.

It was like an indoor jacuzzi. There were turbo jets in the sides and the tub was so deep that I could probably swim in it. I sat on the ledge and marveled at the warm water. When you've been on the run for as long as I have, simple things like an awesome bath tub become a luxury.

I was deep in my own little world when I heard a knock on the door. "Hey, can I come in?" Derek's voice came through the door.

"Yeah, but be warned: I'm naked." I replied.

"It's not anything I haven't seen before." He said as walked in.

"You're welcome to join me," I told him as he began undressing.

"I planned on it." Derek climbed in next to me.

The silence lingered for a minute. Well, it was now or never. "We need to talk." I said.

Derek nodded. "I'm listening."

I took a breath. "When I was in the hospital the doctor took a blood sample. As soon as I woke up, they told me something important." I paused and sighed. "I'm pregnant."

A small smile formed on Derek's face. "I know."

I started blankly at him for a minute. "You… what?"

"I figured it out when you were in a coma. All I needed was confirmation." Derek pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"How did you manage that? You ignored me for a week." I replied, still not allowing myself to relax against him.

"Just because I wasn't talking to you doesn't mean I wasn't paying attention. You skipped your cycle and could barely keep anything down. At first I thought it was just because you were stressed and upset. I mean, the thought of pregnancy crossed my mind, I'm not denying that. But I didn't have enough evidence, so I kept myself logical. And then Simon starting hiding something from me. Tori started avoiding me—which was odd in itself since she was constantly picking fights with me while you were out—and Lucy kept looking at me like I was a kicked puppy. Then the final clue, the one that made me sure I'd falsely dismissed a pregnancy was when Marlee hugged me before I went in to see you today." Derek explained.

"Marlee hugged you?" I asked, shocked.

"Yeah, something was definitely up."

"So… you're not pissed off?"

He smiled. "No. I knew when we completed our mate bond there was a possibility of getting you pregnant. If I didn't want to take that chance, I wouldn't have." He replied. I laid my head back against his shoulder and shut my eyes. "Hey, I don't need you to drown too."

I gave a small smile. "I'm gonna go lay down then." Carefully, I stepped out of the tub and dried off, Derek following suit. Fully clothed, I climbed into bed and snuggled into Derek's chest. I was asleep in minutes.

x-x-x

I awoke to the sound of glass breaking downstairs and was immediately on alert. I sat up and stared. "Derek," I shook his shoulder.

"Hm? What?" He said groggily sitting up on his elbows.

"There's someone—"

The sound of a fight echoed through the house followed by the sound of a loud thwack! "Stay here." Derek said as he quickly, but silently exited the room.

"Like hell." I mumbled. I followed him out to the top of the stairs, confused at what I saw. Mason was panting, his hand still holding the baseball bat that was usually kept by the refrigerator in the kitchen. Unconscious, by Mason's feet was a familiar looking woman.

"Lauren?"

/AN: CLIFFHANGER! Sorta. Sorry the chapter is so short. But I felt like it needed to end there. The REAL fun begins in the next chapter. *Evil grin*. So, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. For whatever reason the bath tub scene was excruciatingly difficult to write, even though I previously knew how I wanted to do it. I'll probably update again in the next few weeks or so. Maybe sooner. You guys should know by now not to trust me when I set a specific update time. Lol. As always, leave a review please!

PS. If any of you guys are Naruto fans, feel free to check out my new fanfic: "Runaway Love". Just thought I'd put that out there. :)

-Kit/