Afterward

by KitTales95

Post TR. When Derek and Chloe are forced into completing their mate bond, Chloe's life takes a life threatening turn. Together they must try to navigate the chaotic reality of existing in a world that wants them dead. Lucky for them, they don't have to go it alone. Canon divergent. Use of OCs. Currently on hiatus - more details on that inside.

10. At Your Service

/AN: Okay, so this is an updated version of Chapter 10. I did some editing, and I hope you guys enjoy what I've done. :) PS. This chapter has been edited.

Disclaimer: I don't own Darkest Powers or Yu-Gi-Oh.

Last Time:

"Damn, girl... you've got a nice swinging arm..." The guy mumbled. I got a good look at his face.

"Holy shit, I know who that is..." I said. I recognized him alright. But what the hell was he doing here? And how did he find me? That was twice now.

He looked at me. "Hey, Chloe. Nice to see you again. Glad to see you got over that food poisoning. Are Tori and Lucy here?" He asked.

I didn't like this. I didn't like this at all./

Chloe's POV

"What are you doing here, Dylan?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest. Between the four of us—Derek, Simon, Marlee and I— we formed a semi-circle around Dylan.

"You know this creep?" Derek asked, sliding a glance my way.

"Yeah, so do you. We met him at the joke shop a few years ago. We got sprayed with whipped cream by a false TV? Ring any bells?"

Simon gave us a bewildered look. "Whipped cream? How did you guys get that kinky without ever doing it?"

Derek ignored his brother. "Yeah, I remember. What's he doing here?"

"What? I can't visit Chloe after her accident? I was the one who pulled her off the side of the road and brought her to the paramedics. They wouldn't have found her if it wasn't for me." Dylan replied.

"Hold on a minute, you were there the night Chloe and the girls were hit?" Marlee asked.

"Chloe wasn't feeling well. I will probably remember dodging that projectile vomit for the rest of my life." I rolled my eyes. "I helped Lucy and Tori bring her out to the car. The next thing I know, metal is crunching against metal. And no, I had nothing to do with it, if that's what you're wondering."

"Then why are you here? How did you find Chloe?" Simon asked. Derek stayed silent and calculating.

"I dropped my bag out by the barn. You won't believe me unless I have it." Dylan said. He shifted in his seat.

"I'm clearly not going anywhere. Can you untie me?" Derek glared. "Please?" Dylan sighed. "If I try to escape, I'll let big, tall and gruesome over here kill me himself." I raised a brow and looked at Derek. He rolled his eyes and looked to Marlee, who nodded. She moved to untie Dylan's ropes.

"No one goes anywhere until Kit and Mason get back." Marlee instructed. She still had her eyes on Dylan.

"Do you want me to go wake Lucy and Tori?" Simon asked.

"So they are here." Dylan said.

Marlee and Simon ignored him. "No. If Tori gets woken before ten AM for a third time this week, I think she'll kill someone. It might be best to leave them be."

I turned to Derek. "I'm gonna get something to eat." He nodded and followed me into the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator and Derek slid his arms around my waist.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"I'm find. Stop worrying. You'll five yourself an ulcer." I turned and smiled at him. "Seriously, I'm fine." I faced the refrigerator again and pulled out a carton of eggs. "I'm thinking breakfast sounds good."

Derek kissed my forehead. "Go sit. I'll cook." I sat at the table while Derek began to scramble the eggs. Less than five minutes later we were both enjoying a simple breakfast. Halfway through, Simon made his presence known.

"Hey, Dad and Mason are back if you guys wanna join everyone in the main hall." He said.

We quickly finished, placed out dishes in the sink and headed into the main hall. Kit and Mason looked beat. Marlee was talking to Kit about the back pack he held in his hands. Dylan sat on a couch with his yes closed. Simon was talking to Tori and Lucy catching them up. Dad had also came down from his room.

"She's up before nine… Do you think she's sick?" I asked Derek sarcastically. He shrugged and we moved further into the room.

"Chloe, glad to see you're conscious again." Dad said, pulling me into an awkward hug.

"Alright, so you're Dylan?" Kit turned to the seemingly sleeping boy.

Dylan didn't open his eyes. "Dylan Mungovan, at your service," He cracked open a lid. "Not really. I've just always wanted to say that." He sat up further. "If you'll hand me my back pack, I'll explain why I'm here and hopefully prove that I'm not stalking Chloe."

Kit obliged. Dylan unzipped the bag and pulled out a bunch of random items of clothing before finally plucking a manila file from the bag. "I don't want to show you the file right away. I want to tell you a little about me first." Kit motioned for him to continue. "I was born on April third nineteen ninety five to Scott and Bridget Saunders—"

I stepped forward. "What the hell type of game are you trying to pull?"

"Can I finish?" Dylan asked simply.

I glowered and looked to Dad, who had a mixed expression on his face; shock mixed with horror and a dash of confusion. "Dad, what they hell is he talking about?"

He ran a hand down his face. "Chloe, I swear I don't know anything about this. We didn't know Bridget was carrying twins until the doctor told us in the delivery room. You were born first. The second baby was a boy… they took him away so fast neither of us even got a chance to look at him. They came back a few minutes later and told us that he was stillborn. We weren't even allowed to see the body. The doctor who delivered you said it was hospital policy that all still born babies be cremated.

Bridget and I decided it was best that you didn't know. If we had known back then what we know now, we would've demanded to see him. Hire a PI if we had to. As far as I knew, your brother was dead before he was even born."

I turned my attention back to Dylan. "I am not in the mood to be messed with."

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Chloe let him finish before you maul him." Marlee said.

I sighed and reluctantly backed away.

"As I was saying, I was born to Scott and Bridget Saunders seventeen years ago. For the first twelve years of my life, I lived with John and Halie Mungovan. They were amazing parents to me. I always had everything I needed, everything I could ever want, with the exception that once every month since I was six years old, I was to meet with a man named Marcel Davidoff. We'd talk about anything and everything for about an hour. I got used to it."

"So they faked your death and included you in the Genesis Two experiment." Derek said, off to the side. "Sounds familiar," He glanced between Mason and Lucy and refocused his attention on Dylan.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Dylan said with a shrug.

He continued. "When I turned twelve, weird things started to happen. Whenever I got pissed off, I could throw lightning bolts from my hands… I could hear voices in my head that weren't mine. My mom and dad were clearly worried and they definitely knew what was going on.

When I asked, all I got was 'Just talk to Dr. Davidoff, sweetie. He'll tell you everything you need to know.' Yeah. That got me nowhere. I started seeing Davidoff three times a week and every day I was in his office, I'd ask the same question. 'What is happening to me?' And every day I was in his office, I'd get the same answer. 'You're special, Dylan. You're very valuable. That's all you need to know for now.'

"Oh you're special alright. A real nut job," Tori scoffed.

"Tori," Kit gave her a look.

"Sorry." She mumbled.

"Finally one day, I convinced my mom and dad to let me take the bus after school to meet with Davidoff alone. After the meeting, I sneaked out of the office and into the file room where they keep all of the important records. I put the file in my back pack and left. I took the bus to a nearby park and sat down to read it.

It had my birth certificate: 'Dylan Monroe Saunders' was the name that was on it. Although the file said Mungovan. Confused I kept reading. Six pounds five ounces, seventeen inches long. Born to—surprise, surprise— not John and Halie Mungovan. I continued to search and found my adoption papers. I also found a document that said my mother—my real mother— had died in childbirth after giving birth to not only me, but a sister as well. It said that my sister had been stillborn and my father wanted nothing to do with us now that his wife was gone."

Dad interrupted. "That's a lie. Bridget lived for six years after she gave birth to Chloe.

Dylan stared at him. He hesitated. "…How did she die?"

Dad didn't say anything. "She got sick. Cancer; it was fast. She was gone within six months. We never saw it coming." I replied.

Dylan's eyes softened. "I'm sorry."

I wiped my eyes and Derek wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Don't be."

"What else did you find in the file?" Kit asked.

"After the birth stuff it was nothing but notes on me. From every session I'd had with Marcel Davidoff. In the family notes, where they kept my family history, I guess you'd call it, was a 'see also Chloe Saunders'. It had a birth date on it, no death date. Which was strange considering we shared a birth day and my twin sister had supposedly been stillborn.

I kept the file but I didn't go home. I hopped on another bus and let it take me as far as it could. I walked the rest of the way into this little town on the out skirts of New York. I was tired, I was hungry, I was pissed off. I ended up sitting in front of an old shop on a bench for hours until I fell asleep. When I awoke, I noticed that someone had placed a blanket over top of me. I sat up as casually as I could before I realized there was this old woman standing beside the bench watching me.

I still remember the first words that bat shit crazy woman said to me. 'If you're hungry come inside, and feel free to eat until you explode out of your ears. And then, if you're still tired—which you probably are, from sleeping on that bench—there's a warm bed with your name on it.' I looked at her like she'd grown a second head. 'After you're one hundred percent physically again, I'll answer all of the questions you have about the sparks that fly from your finger tips and the voices in your head.'

"Marigold," I said. Dylan nodded.

"I asked her what she knew about it, and how she could've possibly known. She didn't know me. She didn't know my story. I didn't expect to get slapped across the face for my response. 'You'll do well to respect your elders, Mr. Mungovan. I know a lot more than you think I do.' Then she looked at me with a smile on her face. 'Now, you can stay out here in the cold or you can follow me inside and we'll talk.'

Turned out the bat shit crazy and now apparently psychic old woman was a shaman who went by the name of Marigold and lived above a joke shop that she owned. She explained to me that I was what was called a sorcerer, and I apparently had a few necromancer abilities that were thrown in. She went on to explain about the other races and why she had taken me in.

She helped run what was like an underground railroad for Supernaturals. Marigold would find runaways with unusual abilities, teach them what they were, the responsibility they had to use with their powers and then let them stay with her a while. If they wanted to stay, they would. But if they decided they wanted to leave, she'd tell them where the other safe houses were, and how to reach her if anyone needed her.

I decided to stay with her. I had nowhere else to go and I didn't want to go home. She gave me my own room and bought me some clothes. My room was small, and underground. More like a cubical really. Enough room for a small desk, a bed and a closet. And there were about ten other rooms like it, expertly hidden underneath the basement of the joke shop.

The clothes weren't really the best, but I didn't really care. Marigold had me enrolled in the local school, which was fortunately, also run by a fellow supernatural who knew Marigold quite well.

"Can we please get to the part where you explain why you're stalking Chloe?" Tori said from her place next to Simon and Lucy on the couch.

"Chill, would you? I'm getting to it."

Dylan paused to gather his thoughts before continuing. "After a few years, I came across the back pack that I had brought when I first came. I read everything in the file again, and it was like reopening a wound. If my mother wasn't alive, my father didn't care, and the only parents I had ever known lied to me my entire life… then I had to find my sister.

Marigold dug up everything she could on you. I learned your name, where you went to school, that you lived with your dad… and finally that you were missing. Had been for about six months. She also found the other kids that were with you at that group home."

"Lyle House?" Simon asked.

Dylan nodded. "One day I was bringing in a shipment of joke shop supplies for Marigold. And who none other than Chloe would be the one I run into. The very next day after I found out you were missing and I'd probably never find you, there you were. Standing in the middle of my space. Unfortunately you didn't stick around long enough for me to say anything more than 'Hi, I'm Dylan' before ugly over there whisked you away."

Derek growled. I grabbed his hand. "Calm down. He's a smart ass, but he might be helpful." Derek backed off.

"Again, Marigold dug up everything she could. News paper articles, Genesis Two files that other experiments had brought in and finally we pieced together who you may have been traveling with. And I set out. Tracking your movements, or trying to anyway, with articles of 'teenage runaway spotted—insert location here'. Meeting you at the mall that day was just an accident. When I saw you were sick, I wanted to help even if it was just helping you to the car. I was walking back across the parking lot when I heard the crash.

I heard Tori screaming something about 'Where is she? Where is she?' and they already had Lucy in the ambulance. The paramedics weren't looking hard enough and I think they thought Tori was in hysterics and worried about Lucy. I found Chloe yards away by a tree. I picked you up and brought you to the ambulance and watched as they carted you off. I decided to head home after that.

Turns out whoever attacked you, was looking for me too. I returned home to find my cheap rundown apartment rental ransacked. Normally I would've thought, okay, neighborhood delinquents. And I did. Until I found a note on the kitchen counter: 'I want my file back. -Davidoff' along with a phone number.

I slept at a friend's house that night. Another supernatural under ground railroad friend. She housed me for the last few weeks while I tried to determine where you were staying. I searched all of the buildings that hadn't been used for a few years in the general area. There were three within a thirty mile radius. When I saw the first two were empty and void of live, I knew you had to be here. And here I am."

Dylan waited a few seconds before reopening his mouth to speak again. "From what I've pieced together, you're trying to form a resistance. I'd like to help. The Edison Group ruined my life. And it would give me a chance to get to know my family… or what's left of it."

Kit sighed. "We've had a rough week. We aren't really in a very trusting posit—"

"Let's get one thing straight. You try anything on anyone especially Chloe, I'll have your head ripped from your shoulders before you can say 'oops'." Derek said.

Dylan looked at Derek a moment and turned to me. "I'm guessing this is your jerk of a," he looked at our joined hands, "boyfriend…? Hm… Last I knew it was ex. Am I missing something? He's a werewolf. Did he do something to hurt you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Stop acting like you know me. We had a fight. It was no big deal. We have bigger things to worry about." I said.

"Like Davidoff?"

Kit sighed. "Davidoff is dead. Chloe helped with that."

"So… what's there to worry about? If the Davidoff is dead then the note was just placed to scare me."

"Oh, Chloe's pregnant."

"SIMON!"

"Sorry, couldn't hold it anymore. If you didn't tell him, I had to. You waited too long and my loud mouth took over." Simon apologized.

"There's always Kyle. Marcel's son. He took over after Davidoff died. He's probably the one who left the note." Marlee said, attempting to change the subject.

"You're pregnant?" Marlee's attempt at keeping peace failed. Dylan looked pissed. He turned to Derek. "You got my sister pregnant?" If looks could kill.

"Dude, you don't even wanna start with me on that. Back away before you hurt." Derek towered a good six inches above Dylan.

"Boys, knock it off." Kit said. "Dylan if you have an issue with Chloe being pregnant, then you can leave. I'm not having any more near death experiences on my watch."

"Near death experiences?"

"Chloe's crazy bitch aunt came and tried forcing an abortion on Chloe. When that didn't work, she stabbed her with a scalpel." Lucy said.

Dylan sighed and turned to face me. "Are you and the baby okay?"

"I'm still a little sore, but the babies are fine. Thanks." I said.

"Babies?"

"Chloe's carrying twins." Derek responded.

"Well, congratulations then… I guess." Dylan turned to the rest of the group. "Look, I'm not here to cause trouble. The situation just caught me off guard, that's all. I swear I'm not gonna go psycho and stab anyone with a scalpel anytime soon. Chloe's my sister, and I'm missed out on all those chances to protect her."

"You barely know me,"

"You're my sister. That's all I need to know." Dylan smiled.

"If Chloe being pregnant caught you off guard, I can hardly wait until you hear the rest of the situation." Simon said.

"What? Does big, bad and ugly have mutant sperm?" Dylan joked.

"Right? That's the same thing I thought!" Simon laughed.

Derek rolled his eyes. "I'm also transitioning into a werewolf. It's a—"

"—Rare side effect of a human/werewolf mate bond. I've done a lot of research." I blinked. "That may explain why they tried to kill you. It's not just a rare side effect, it's super rare. Like finding all five parts of Exodia rare. There are only nine sets in the entire world. Just finding a limb card is extremely difficult." Dylan paused and stared at our blank faces.

"Exodia? Dude, that's the best metaphor you could come up with?" Mason asked. "And I wouldn't bother with Yu-Gi-Oh metaphors. Derek doesn't even know who Yoda is. And stop exaggerating. There are rarer cards than Exodia."

"Whoa. You got him to speak! Do it again." Tori said. "I'be been trying to get him to do that for days!"

"Not to change the subject, but I beg to differ. Exodia is the all powerful. It's the rarest of cards, not to mention the strongest. You pull Exodia, and the match is over." Dylan turned back to Derek and me, looking fully prepared to continue our previous conversation.

"I can name three cards that overpower Exodia." Mason countered.

Dylan swiveled to look at Mason. "Really? Let's hear them."

"The God cards: Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and The Winged Dragon of Ra." Mason responded.

"Exodia could easily take down a God card. As I said, Exodia wins by default. Plus the God cards are banned from play." Dylan said.

"Just because they're banned from official tournament games doesn't mean they don't exist. Exodia is merely the God's guardian. If Exodia were to go up against any one of the God cards, Exodia would be crushed."

I rolled my eyes. "You guys can finish your nerd fight later. Can we get back on topic please?"

"Aw, Chloe! I think that's the most Mason has spoke in his life! Why'd you ruin it?" Tori complained.

"Why don't we head to the lab? Tori, Lucy, Mason, Simon, go make yourselves busy." Marlee said.

Kit, Marlee, Dad, Derek, Dylan and I traveled down to the lab. "As I was saying, you side effect is extremely rare. Not to mention the fact that you're pregnant and interbreeding. The outcome is tremendously unpredictable. It explains why the Cabal would want you dead. I can only imagine that the Edison Group is scrambling to find you now that they've lost you again."

"It also explains why I saw someone watching the van the night we picked Chloe up from the hospital." Simon's voice floated down from the top of the steps.

Kit rolled his eyes. "He never listens…"

"That tall guy at the other end of the parking lot? I saw him too." Dylan met Derek's eyes as Simon came down the steps. "I tried to visit Chloe the night you took her from the hospital. Apparently, I wasn't the only one…" He turned to the rest of us.

"They're looking for me because I took a file that I wasn't supposed to see. If I'm right, they tried to kill Chloe because she's too much of a risk and they failed. So now, they're looking to finish the job, meaning they're searching the area—thoroughly."

"What do you suggest we do?" Kit asked.

"What we're best at: We run." Simon replied, as if the answer was simple to him.

"Oh, hell no! I am not moving again!" Tori raced down the stais, Mason and Lucy following closely behind.

Marlee ignored Tori's dramatic entrance. "Normally, I would agree, but with Chloe being pregnant it won't be easy. We need a better solution. We have two other people to think about now."

"Thanks, Marlee. But really, I'm fine." I said, earnestly.

"What about the Pack?" All eyes turned to Dylan. No one said anything. "This isn't uncomfortable at all…" He muttered, sarcastically.

"We've discussed something similar a few years ago…" Kit started, slowly. "We decided that it was best if Derek stay as far away from Pack territory as possible."

"He's a werewolf and Chloe's turning into one. Wouldn't they protect their own?" Dad asked.

Dylan turned to Kit. "He's right. And I've got friends on the inside. If I could talk to them, let them know you're in trouble; they may be able to help. The Pack hates the Edison Group. They've seen the damage they've caused. And while they're not too fond of outsiders, they'd be willing to help a couple of Genesis Two werewolves if I vouched for them."

"Derek, what do you think?" Marlee asked.

Derek shifted uncomfortably beside me. "The last time I was in Pack territory Chloe and I were attacked by two other werewolves. You can understand why I wouldn't be too thrilled to return." Again, no one said anything. Derek sighed. "Give us a few hours to think our options over. We'll have your answer before dinner tonight."

The group agreed and quickly dispersed, leaving Derek and I to our thoughts. I yawned as we traveled up the steps and into the room we shared together. "Any thoughts?" Derek asked, leaning against the wall.

I sat cross-legged on the bed and shrugged. "If we go on the run, what are the chances of the cabal or the Edison Group finding us? Fifty, fifty? More?'

Derek nodded. "Fifty, fifty." He thought for a moment. "In one scenario, we go on the run. You have the twins and we keep running. In another scenario, we go on the run, the Edison Group either a: kills you and the twins or b: kidnaps you and does hell knows what. In a third scenario, we go on the run, you have the twins and the Edison Group kidnaps you and/or the twins to do hell knows what. The possibilities are pretty much endless and I could come up with good scenarios and bad scenarios all day, but I'd rather not."

I thought on Derek's theoretical scenarios. "And if we seek out the Pack?"

Again Derek thought on this. "The reason Dad and Andrew had a falling out way back when was because Andrew thought it would be better if I lived with the Pack, learned to be with my own kind. He thought I'd benefit from what they had to teach me. He had even talked to the Alphas about letting me join the pack, securing me a safe position.

Dad contemplated it until Andrew told him that he and Simon weren't part of the deal. They weren't allowed to be included in the Pack. They were to drop me off, and leave me to grow up among the other werewolves. They wouldn't be allowed to visit, call or write. Too much of a liability if a call or letter or email was traced by the Edison Group.

Well, you could imagine how Dad and Simon reacted. Dad had raised me that far and he wasn't about to let me go to complete strangers, he didn't care who they were." Derek paused and shifted his weight.

"When we spent the night with Andrew a few years ago, he brought up the subject again. He figured I was close enough to an adult to decide on my own. Andrew told me he kept in contact with the Alphas in the Pack and I still had a position among them if I changed my mind.

I'm not gonna lie, I thought about it. I kinda wanted to go. I thought maybe they could help figure out what the Edison Group did to my genes. Whether I'd be able to complete the change or not… And then I thought about what would happen to you and Simon if I left and I knew I couldn't just leave you. Not to mention what had happened with Liam and Ramon. I didn't want a repeat of those events." Derek walked over and sat across from me on the bed.

"The problem is I can't guarantee you a spot."

I nodded. "Pros and Cons?"

"Well, scenario one: I get accepted and you don't. We go on the run with everyone else and take our chances. Scenario two: I get accepted and you don't. We go on the run on our own. Go underground, disappear off the face of the planet and raise our family. Scenario three: We both get accepted but the rest of our dysfunctional group doesn't. We could either join the Pack and raise our family or refuse to join without our chaotic group and go on the run. Scenario four: We all get accepted and see how things go." Derek responded.

"It can only go one of two ways. Either it goes well or it doesn't." I said. "So what do we do? We can't stay here, and in either situation, we have a fifty, fifty chance of the Edison Group finding us." I absently scratched at my arm.

Derek noticed. "You're going to shift soon. We shouldn't be talking about this. You should be resting."

I glared at him. "How can I rest when I just found out that I have a brother I never knew about, and the stupid Edison Group is trying to kill me—again?"

Derek ignored me, placing his hand to my forehead. "Stop stressing. It's bad for the babies." I rolled my eyes. "When did you last check your temperature?"

"Derek—"

"Chloe,"

I sighed, giving in. If he wanted to play doctor then I'd let him have his fun. I was tired of arguing with him. "Marlee checked it this morning after I woke up."

"And?"

"And what?"

"What was it?"

"What was what?" I teased, halfheartedly.

"Chloe stop being difficult." Derek replied.

"I'm not being difficult." I leaned over and rested my head on his shoulder.

Derek's tone softened. "Tell me what you temperature was or I'll go bug Marlee for it." He said, wrapping his arms around me.

"One hundred and three," I responded.

"You have a temperature of one hundred and three and you went for a walk to Starbucks? Seriously?" He pulled us apart to look at me.

"I didn't kill over, did I?" I said, sarcastically.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Ha, ha." He said, leaning in to kiss me.

Lucy's POV

I darted through the trees trying to shake whoever was following me. The moon over head lit my path. I couldn't hear their steps but I knew they were close by. We had been playing at this for what seemed like forever and I began to tire.

Finally I stopped by a giant oak and waited, never letting my guard down. 'Calm yourself, Lucy. I'm not here to hurt you.' The black wolf that had been following me came to a halt a few feet away.

'Then what are you doing here?' I asked her. 'And how do you know who I am?'

'My name is Mei. I know who you are because I was sent to find you, and believe me I have been looking for a long time.' The wolf sat on her haunches, a physical way of saying, "I'm not going to attack you." I sat down but didn't relax.

'Who sent you?'

'I was sent by the Pack in Syracuse to—"

Suddenly there was a knock at my door. I opened my eyes to find Marlee standing in my doorway. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked.

"No, I was just finishing up." I replied. "What do you need?"

"I was going to do this sooner, but then the accident happened and I decided to wait." She paused and came in shutting the door behind her. "I did a lot of research on the DNA we took a few weeks ago, especially after the results came back. The results show that the reason you can shift without pain is because of a recessive genetic junk gene. Mason and Derek have it as well, but as I said it's recessive and their junk gene didn't activate like yours did."

"So what now?" I asked.

"Lucy, you have to understand. I can't fix this. There's nothing I can do."

"I got that. What I meant was, is there anything else you wanna test? Do you know what caused it? Am I in any danger of spontaneous combustion or something?"

Marlee smiled a little. "No you're not going to spontaneously explode or anything like that. The gene is just a mutation of the werewolf gene. There's nothing else I need to test right now." She checked her watch. "I'm gonna go back to the lab."

I nodded as she left. I took a deep breath and headed back into my meditation. I appeared in the same place I left, but Mei was gone.

Derek's POV

After Chloe and I decided what we were going to do about the Pack situation, Dad brought me outside to show me a bike they had picked up on the road. It needed a little work but it was nothing I couldn't handle.

A few hours passed before I finally finished with it. Exhausted, I headed inside for a drink. I walked in the door and found Simon carrying a semi-conscious Chloe. "What happened?" Her arm was at an awkward angle and there was a bruise beginning to form on Simon's cheek.

"We were talking in the library. I was gonna help her back to her room because Chloe said she wasn't feeling well. She stopped in the hall because she was having a hard time breathing and she was having muscle spasms in her back. And then all of a sudden her arm shot into my face and she collapsed. I figured you'd know what to do because I have no freaking clue." Simon said in a rush.

"She's in the middle of a change. We need to get her outside." I took Chloe in my arms and headed for the door. Simon followed. "Believe me, you don't wanna see this. Go find Marlee and tell her Chloe's shifting."

"Derek?"

I looked at Chloe. Her eyes were closed. I sat her down on the grass and took have a step back. Her hand shot out to grab my wrist. "Don't—don't go." She gasped out.

I swallowed and sat down beside her. "I'm not going anywhere." I wracked my brain, trying to think of ways that I could comfort her. I watched as her back arched, everything in her body rearranging at once.

Chloe emitted a scream that was interrupted by vomit forcing it's way up her throat. She clenched her jaws tight.

"Derek, Chloe?" I turned and saw Marlee halted about two feet behind me. "What can I do to help?"

I turned back to Chloe. "Have you ever seen a werewolf shift?" I asked her.

"I've seen documentaries… but in person, no."

"The first couple of times before completion aren't pretty. There's not much either of us can do anyway. You'd probably be better off keeping everybody calm and making sure everyone stays away from the windows." Marlee nodded in understanding. She took another glance at Chloe before running back towards the house.

I moved close to Chloe, who had fallen to her hands and feet. "Chloe, I'm gonna rip the back of your shirt open. You'll be more comfortable without your clothes." I heard Chloe try to respond, but another spasm hit her body and all she managed was a small nod. It was enough encouragement for me to continue.

I gripped the bottom of her shirt and pulled it, ripping the thin fabric with ease. I discarded the material to the side. Her shorts and undergarments had already been ripped apart due to her hips shifting to an inhuman angle. In the moonlight, I could see the bristles of blond fur sprouting from her skin.

Another wave hit Chloe's body and she let out a sound that was more animal than human. I rubbed the ridged muscles between her shoulder blades, hoping that would comfort her. I knew it was all I could do for her, and it killed me to not be able to do anything about it. Her breaths were shallow and ragged as the change came on wave by wave.

I don't know how long we sat like that. It seemed like hours. Chloe leaned against me, immense heat radiating off of her body. I tried to find something to talk about, something to distract her from the fear she must've been feeling. "At least we don't have Gill or any of those other whack jobs fifty feet away from your first shift." I heard Chloe let out a sound that sounded suspiciously similar to a laugh. I relaxed a little.

"I'm not good at this, am I?" Chloe didn't respond. "I just… need to be there for you the same way you were there for me during all of my shifts. Clearly, I suck at being comforting. But I need to try. Because it wouldn't be fair to you if I didn't." I felt Chloe's body tremble once more before she finally collapsed, naked in the moonlight.

I lay down next to her. Chloe tried to life her hand to my face but only made it half way before her arm collapsed against my shoulder. I paced my hand over hers. "If you ever doubt yourself while I'm in the middle of a shift again, I will make sure the first thing I do as a wolf is rip your throat out." Chloe gave a halfhearted smile. Her eyes shut and her hand went limp in mine.

"Chloe?" She didn't answer. I tried to keep calm and think rationally. There were many times that I passed out after a shift. I just had to keep calm. I lifted Chloe into my arms and headed back to the house. Marlee met me halfway with a blanked to conceal her.

"I'll check her when we get to your room. I've forced everyone into the kitchen to give you some privacy." Marlee said as we headed up the steps.

"She made a death threat and lost consciousness." It was all I could think about.

Marlee nodded. "She's not bleeding vaginally from what I can tell. As I said, I'll examine her and the twins thoroughly." She shut the door to our room as I set Chloe on the bed.

Marlee checked Chloe's pulse and breathing first. "Her breathing is a little shallow, but her pulse is strong. That's a good sign. I'll give her some oxygen in the mean time." There was an oxygen tank I hadn't noticed before next to the bed. Marlee must have brought her equipment up here to make sure she was ready after Chloe's shift. I watched as Marlee wrapped a clear tube under Chloe's nose and around her ears. She turned and twisted the valve on the tank and turned on the machine it was hooked up to.

Marlee lifted the blanket to get a better look at Chloe's nether regions. I stayed back behind the blanket. Marlee looked at me. "Why so tense? It's nothing you haven't seen before."

I struggled with my words. "It's a dignity thing. She's not even awake. Would you want someone looking at your vagina if you were unconscious? Even if it was your significant other?"

Marlee gave me a strange look. "I've never really thought about it." She thought for a moment. "I guess not."

"And that's why I've got no interest."

She laughed. "Derek, you're eighteen. You're lying to everyone including yourself if you're saying you've got no interest at this moment."

I fidgeted and felt my face heat. Marlee repositioned Chloe. "I've got enough restraint to respect her." I replied simply.

"That's a good talent. There's no vaginal bleeding at all, which signifies that Chloe's in no danger of a miscarriage. I can't do anything more until she's a little further along. I'm still going to do an ultrasound to make sure she doesn't have any internal uterine bleeding." I nodded.

"So, she looks good for the most part?" I asked.

Marlee nodded. "She looks as if the shift never happened." She pulled out a small rectangular device with a cord and transducer attached to it. "Portable sonogram machine. Very useful," She said, as I watched, fascinated. "The only flaw is you have to bring your own gel." She squirted a bit of the blue substance on Chloe's exposed abdomen and placed the transducer over it. A gray blur appeared on the screen before the two dark orbs we saw yesterday appeared.

"That's the twins, right?"

"Yup. We should have a couple of heartbeats in a few weeks." She moved the picture to the left and right in a couple different directions.

"What are you looking for?"

"Well, generally if there's internal bleeding, it will be indicated by black space in the screen. I'm not seeing anything other than the twins so I think we're out of the woods for now." She paused. "Wanna see something cool?"

"What?" I bent closer to the screen. Marlee focused the transducer back on the twins.

"See that little white spot in the middle of the two black circles?" I nodded. "Since the twins are werewolves, they're developing slightly faster than normal. Nothing too drastic that it off puts the human gestation period of forty weeks…" I blinked as she trailed off.

"Let me start this explanation over. Technically Chloe is about five and a half weeks pregnant. We calculate gestation start two weeks before conception. So while the twins have a fetal development of three weeks, Chloe is five weeks pregnant. Understand?" I nodded. "Typically a fetus won't have a heartbeat until six or seven weeks gestation, but as I said the twins are developing slightly faster than normal."

"So they've got a heartbeat?"

Marlee nodded. "I didn't want to get everybody's hopes up in case I was wrong yesterday. But I'm sure now." She fiddled with a setting on the contraption and the sound came on. We listened to each one for a few minutes before Chloe stirred in her sleep. "They've got good strong heartbeats." Marlee said, wiping the gel off of Chloe's abdomen.

I pulled the comforter over her. "Thank you." I said. Marlee nodded. Marlee removed the oxygen from Chloe's face and shut off the machine as well as the tank. I shut off the light as we walked out of the room. "That was cool, hearing the heartbeats."

"Aw! You got to hear heartbeats? That's not fair!" Simon was standing outside of the door with everyone else. I rolled my eyes. "What was so different from yesterday?" He continued.

"I didn't have the sound on. Got a problem with that?" Marlee asked.

"Yes," Simon mumbled.

"How is she?" Scott asked.

"Chloe and the twins are fine. She's sleeping and I expect none of you to bother her." Marlee replied.

I pulled dad aside. "I'm leaving." I said.

His face blanked. "You're leaving? After hearing your babies' heartbeats, you're leaving? Seriously?"

I almost laughed. Almost. "That's not what I meant. I got the bike up and running before Chloe started her shift. I'm taking to Syracuse and I'm going to seek out the Pack. I figure I'll go alone first and I'll be back in about a week with news of their decision." I said.

"You're sure about this?" I nodded.

Dad sighed. "Alright,"

The group in front of our room had finally dispersed and I gathered some necessities into back pack and left a note on the bedside table for Chloe. I looked at her sleeping form and gently laid a hand on her abdomen, kneeling. I smiled to myself before kissing Chloe's lips. "I love you," I stood and shut the door quietly on my way out.

/AN: Chloe's first shift! :D I toned up the details a bit—as best I could. I hope you guys like it! As usual, please review! Thanks. -Kit./