So, this is EDITED and all. And I guess we just don't own the Darkes Powers. (Just D, J's kind've staring at her iPod, trying to will iTunes to load faster.)
Love Like Crazy - Lee Brice
They called them crazy when they started out
Said, "Seventeen's too young to know what loves about."
Kit stared at them for a second, like he wasn't sure what to do. Tori had a slow grin pulling at he lips and I knew I was grinning. Lauren was the only one who seemed to have a problem with this new bit of information. While Kit was being supportive and asking whether or not they had any plans, such as budgeting and housing, Lauren had her arms crossed and a scowl on her face while her foot tapped impatiently against the carpeted living room floor.
Tori had left already with a smile and shaking her head at the entire situation. I had been me. When Dad had finished taking financial and other things with them, boring Chloe, I had stepped up and smacked Derek on the back. Giving a hug to Chloe, I had leaned into Derek's ear and told him that he had to always let her know.
Derek had nodded but Lauren had glared. "This won't last. You two are young, Derek you're eighteen. Chloe, you just over a year younger. A fling isn't going to keep you two together and I don't think you two are ready for that."
I had growled and stepped in front. "A fling, huh? Derek hasn't loved anyone before, I'm sure Chloe hasn't dated anyone before either. If this is a fling, I'm not sure they sound have been together for two years, only growing. And if you say Derek is forcing her hand, then you have no idea the kind of man my brother is. Or your niece for that matter. Besides, he'd never hurt his mate."
Lauren had looked like she wanted to say something else, but she stormed out of the room.
They've been together fifty-eight years now
Now, they're fifty-seven and fifty-eight and have been happily married for thirty-five years. How about that Lauren?
That's crazy
He brought home sixty-seven bucks a week
Bought a little 2 bedroom house on Maple Street
Now, I will admit they hadn't started out perfectly. Derek, the idiot, hadn't told Chloe yet the she was his mate and when I had mentioned it, Chloe had jumped the subject. Derek had still continuously withhold the information from her until she had tricked him into answering.
When he had explained that what being a mate was to her and to him, along with his reasons she'd not been told earlier, they had gotten into an ugly fight. She was screaming at him that he was idiot and that he was insane for not telling her that she meant this much to him... after he had promised to always tell her things like this again.. well, I think that the marriage and perfect honeymoon plus the fact that they haven't ever strayed from each other explains all of that.
They'd moved out to Oregon, in the Red Woods area. A nice "log cabin" home in the middle of an unincorporated town. Nice windows, plenty of trees and space, a nice sized house. Derek's income made them struggle for a little while but they managed to get by with out a scrape. While they weren't left with much, they seemed perfectly content at the ages of twenty-one and twenty-two.
Where she blessed him with six more mouths to feed.
Now, those extra three bedrooms needed to be filled and not just on the rare times Tori, Dad and I stopped by. Derek needed to have a family, desperately, and you could tell as he hit the autumn, wolf mating season, and the ripe age of twenty-three. He fought the instinct though, pulling himself away from all that, pulling himself away from being an "animal".
Chloe wasn't having it. She pushed and pushed and lured him until he bent. But a set of twins- Donnya and Darcy- wasn't enough. Once they had started, Derek was ready and eager. Chloe was a willing woman and they didn't settle until they had a son- Hunter, a set of triplets- Meeca, Mika, and Milo, and a little runt- a sweet blue eyes, black haired, fair skinned and completely innocent little girl named Love. Literally.
Now that's crazy
Just ask him how he did it
He'll say, "Pull up a seat
It'll only take a minute
To tell you everything"
I had watched them grow up and live, taking care of their seven children, Derek's income and job thriving and falling. But, I didn't get all of it. They lived in the middle of no where. They were happy with their small struggle, with their children, with the way things were. I got all of that. I just didn't know how Derek did it. It was confusing and I wanted to know how it worked, how he managed, what kept him going. I understood the basics, I wanted to know the detail.
Derek had smiled when I asked, and nodded, asking Chloe if she wouldn't mind taking the kids out for awhile and that he'd meet up with them. Seeing me and the look on Derek's face, she had agreed and pulled the seven children along to the great outdoors. When the door shut, Derek lead me into the parlor and popped open a can.
"Want any?" he asked.
"Nah." I shook my head and took a seat, leaning forward eagerly. Derek nodded and sat down across from me. When he laid all the cards out on the table, I sat back and laughed. Derek had shaken his head as he stood up.
"Simon," he said. "I promise. This is simplistic and easy, but when you actually try-" he shook his head "-one of the hardest things ever."
I thought over what he'd said.
Be a best friend, tell the truth
And overuse "I love you"
Go to work, do your best
Don't outsmart your common sense
Never let your prayin' knees get lazy
And love like crazy
I smiled and shook my head at the sound of the door closing as he went to find his family. His reasons were simple, easy to follow and understandable. But, it made sense and I could see how it would take work. I looked over the parlor. A lot. I thought of the look on his face everytime his kids came to him, when Chloe had walked in the room.
As hard as this would be, it would be worth it. To have a love like that, almost anything would be worth it.
They called him crazy when he quit his job
Said them home computers, boy, they'll never take off
Derek quit his job.
Chloe had nodded and taken it in stride, getting herself a part time job as a waitress.
Tori had nodded and taken it upon herself to be a free babysitter.
I had come to help out, understanding immediately that Derek had a plan, an idea. That he wasn't going to screw this up. Not for what he had.
Kit had been curious, but helped out anyways, loaning a little here and a little there.
Lauren had called him a lunatic plus some other things. She had been the least supportive of all and had walked away when she and Chloe had a shouting match, Chloe evidently winning. Lauren never said a bad word towards him, his practices or his family again. She tried to work it out and when she didn't, she left. Chloe had been angry with her, and Lauren had bent underneath that.
However, we were all curious to see what he had planned. Well, all except Chloe and Tori.
Well, he sold his one man shop to Microsoft
And they paid like crazy
A few weeks later, Apple had bought a project he'd been working on. And they had been eager, paying him more than he could have possibly believed them to be worth. Tori had grinned and bowed, and I realized this had been her magic. I will grudgingly admit that my sister has her useful moments.
Lauren had been shocked, not saying a word. She had sat on the couch with a slightly dazed expression and didn't move for awhile.
Kit had barely believed it, grinning from ear to ear and giving his son a hug. I had given them a much deserved congratulations, but stepped backed. I knew that Kit, Lauren and Tori wouldn't be far behind. Not if they wanted to understand to some degree how all this had been possible, how all this had worked out.
I sat back and waited.
Just ask him how he made it
He'll tell you faith and sweat
And the heart of a faithful woman
Who never let him forget
Tori had gotten married a little while after that, to a poor bloke named Samuel. Turns out, the guy was a werewolf. And, after a little while, Tori came running to Chloe. She had said she didn't know how to handle being the wife of a werewolf, how to deal with him, how to, and I quote, "keep him in control with just a bat of the eyes". Chloe had smiled and taken her away to explain, with a glare at me for having eavesdropped.
When she had gotten home, Tori had kissed Sam (and I would go into more depth, but I'll have nightmares for weeks if I do). After that, even though he had been that way before, Sam was a lovesick puppy. He did anything and everything in his power to keep her with him and happy. Tori mellowed at after that, completely content with her werewolf. They had a little boy follow them after two months, a sweet thing and a sorcerer. Dad's still trying to figure out how that worked out.
Dad and Lauren watched Tori and Sam grow, the love and tenderness spark and light an ever growing fire in their family. They were seeing stars, completely blown away by the similiarties that Chloe and Tori shared in the way they ran their house and crazy children, along with making sure to keep their overprotective and loving husbands in check. They were also startled to watch Derek and Sam interact with their wives and kids, the love that shown brightly as they took in their pride and joy, as they watched their packs grow. Sam and Tori had three preceeding kids- a set of twins named Carla and Kameryn, along with another boy named Jacob. And, if you're wondering, yes, that name is due to Twilight and that Sam and Jacob are both, as they found out after Jake's first Change, that they look extremely similar to both Jacob from Twilight and to each other. Tori has yet to stop teasing them about it.
Dad and Lauren turned to Derek, asking more questions then just listening. But, after Derek had waited, quite patiently, through all the 'well how about...'s' and 'how do you...'s', he gave them the exact same things that he given me to chew over. They had sitten there for awhile while Derek had made dinner. He had also taken a picture of their dazed and puzzled faces for me to keep and laugh over.
They understood after that, never againg Derek's, Sam's or the girls' sanity again.
Be a best friend, tell the truth
And overuse "I love you"
Go to work, do your best
Don't outsmart your common sense
Never let your prayin' knees get lazy
And love like crazy
I didn't know, however, that my turn was coming up. That, at the age of twenty-six, I would get to expierence the inter-workings, the deepness, the beautiful light of Derek's family. Of a life.
Always treat your woman like a lady
Never get to old to call her baby
Never let your prayin' knees get lazy
And love like crazy
They called him crazy when they started out
They've been together fifty-eight years now
3rd person
Derek watched his brother grow up and conquer in New York, and was now watching him fall in love in New York. His brother, all the way across the continent, had found love. He got to see the wondrous life of a loving family. He got to expirence the joys, pains, happiness, and annoyance that came with being a loving husband and leading father.
Chloe was tucked into Derek's side, smiling down at a photo as her kids played in the yard. It was a photo from when they were teens, young, wild, ambitious. Also scared, wondering and moving. She glanced up at her seven children, three of them teens, and wondered how her and a gang of misfits, troublemakers, adults, nut jobs, werewolves, spellcasters, necromancers, humans, children and family got here. She looked around her at the growth and saw a towering maple. We grew, she thought to herself.
Ain't that crazy?
Now, ain't that crazy? *giggles* Oh, I am so punny.
J- yes you are, D. Now get to the point.
D- You're boring.
J- no, i'm tired. iTunes is taking forever.
D-poor girl. Anyways, we have, I think, another update coming, right?
J- yeah, that just so happens to be over 6,000 words long at the current moment. *scowls* screw me and my tendency to write long stuff.
D- i'm sure the readers will adore it. Right guys? *whispers* and if you don't, you will pay.
J- don't scare them, doesn't matter to- *screams in delight* IT'S DONE LOADING! Toodles everyone!
-DJ
D- you over overly excited puppy