Chapter Two is here people! Thanks so much for your enthusiasm. I'm really glad you liked it!

Thanks again to Fledgling for putting up with my endless questions. I think she must spend hours in front of the screen answering. I'm sorry if I'm keeping you up for hours, but I'm so grateful!

Meeting new people, for Simon, was fun. Meeting seven teenage sorcerers was proving to be interesting.

When Dad had first proposed the idea of meeting other sorcerers Simon had been extremely excited. Even more so than usual. It would be fun. Somehow he had imagined a group of happy guys sharing pizza and talking about the latest spells they had tried. But this group of boys seemed resentful of their parents for not joining a cabal (groups of rich and somewhat power hungry sorcerers), and spent most of the time moaning about how all the other sorcerers got to do all the fun stuff. They didn't seem to care that the cabals had been killing witches for the past six centuries, or that the Edison Group had been financially supported by one of the cabals, though it was still unclear which one it had been. What they did care about was that the cabals were rich and powerful, and they seemed to really like the rich part.

Jeff stared at Simon. His father was the manager of a steel mill, and his mother worked from home for an advertising company. "So your dad's a lawyer?"

"Yeah," Simon answered, wishing they could get off the subject of What-My-Parents-Do-And-How-Much-They-Earn.

"And what about your mom?" asked Gregory, a small boy with glasses whose parents owned a computer software shipping company. But he had assured them all that he would not be going into his parent's field of work. No, he was going to be a judge on the Supreme Court. Most of the boys seemed to be very determined to be successful in life, and were already working on some kind of college degree. Simon had a feeling his dad had done this on purpose.

"She left when I was two."

"Oh." Gregory blushed and stared down at his food.

The restaurant was small and overcrowded, but the food was reasonably priced and tasted good. All Simon had to do was remember not to look at Hank, who seemed to have never heard of manners in his life, and was eating as messily as possible. Simon had to keep stopping himself from asking the guy to close his mouth. He doubted it would have made a difference anyway.

Tom and Vince, sitting on either side of Hank, looked like they dearly wished to somewhere else. Vince was turning an interesting shade of green. Hank and his friend Randy, who was sitting across from him, were the only ones who didn't seem interested in school or work. They both said that they were going to, "be on some football team or something," as soon as they got out of school. But you never know. They might just drop out if they didn't pass their math finals, which Simon thought was a very good possibility. But he didn't say anything. The guys were both huge.

The last boy, Kevin, wasn't too bad, Simon decided. He was nice enough, didn't eat like a monkey, and so far, hadn't asked any weird questions. The others were all curious, he could tell, but they didn't want to offend him or anything. He had a feeling though that as soon as Hank and Randy had finished eating they would start talking. Most likely about Derek.

And he wasn't disappointed.

"So what's it like? Living with a dog." Randy swallowed his last mouthful.

Simon tried to keep his temper in check. He'd been working on that ever since Derek had broken that kid's back, but he wasn't sure if he was succeeding. The smart comments just kept slipping out.

"I don't know. We don't have a dog."

Gregory gave a nervous laugh, then seemed to be questioning his actions.

"You know what he's talking about," Hank said, glaring. Simon thought Hank acted more like a werewolf than Derek.

"That wolf at your house that looks like a teenager." Hank continued. "Derek. I think that's what he's called." He didn't seem to care if he got the name right.

Simon glared, unable to help it. "I suppose you think he lives in a dog house in our back yard or something."

Randy nodded, ignoring Simon's wrathful look completely. "I wouldn't be surprised," he said.

"But what about the full moon? Do you have to tie him up so he doesn't eat people or anything?" Hank looked genuinely interested.

Simon couldn't believe how dull the boy was. He decided to have some fun. "Yeah," he nodded sadly. "But last time he broke his chain. Some poor guy was taking a midnight walk, just innocently minding his own business, and then . . ." Simon shook his head, doing his best to look depressed. "We couldn't tell if it had been a girl or a boy, so we just texted the police department the address, and dragged Derek home. It was way more fun than usual."

Randy and Hank were staring with wide eyes. They hadn't expected this. Tom and Vince stomachs had finally decided to give way, and the two boys scrambled over the table in their mad dash for the bathroom. Gregory was sweating nervously, and Jeff was chocking on his soda. Kevin thumped him on the back, struggling to hold in his laughter. He grinned over at Simon, then turned to the others. "You guys are way too gullible. Werewolves don't even Change during the full moon."

"That's right, Kevin. And don't worry. Dad and I can usually control him. Most of the time. Well, you guys will get to meet him soon enough. Andrew is picking him up on the way here."

This caused Gregory and Jeff to bolt. Vince and Tom had come out of the bathroom and didn't even pause before heading for the door. They still looked slightly sick. Randy and Hank looked at each other, trying to decide if Simon was bluffing or not. They decided not to risk it, and grabbed the remains of Vince and Tom's meals before leaving. Kevin glanced over at Simon. "So is he really coming? I'd like to meet a real werewolf."

Simon shook his head. "Nope. But aren't you glad it's over anyway?"

Kevin nodded. After a few minutes conversation, they split the bill and called their rides.

Andrew looked at Simon in the review mirror. "Well? How was it?"

"Great. I had a wonderful time. But I don't think the other guys did. Do them a favor and don't try to involve me in sorcerer society ever again. Please."

Andrew nodded. "Well, um . . . Okay then."

Looking at a total loss, Andrew headed for home. Simon relaxed in the back seat. He was never doing that again. But he might call Kevin sometime.

~W~S~

Simon was back home. Doing homework. Woo hoo. He was sure someone had invented chemistry just so he could fail it. To blow off some steam from the meeting, he was experimenting with different chemicals, which was pretty fun, using a kid's science kit that Derek had made some modifications to. Usually this particular set was kept locked up. But after a handy spell from a book Dad had confiscated, he was able to have some fun with his schoolwork. Purely in the interest of science, of course. He was trying out different acids on an old rag he had found in the kitchen. The funny looking blue liquid was next.

Simon carefully poured a bit onto the rag, then jumped back as it burst into flame. Resisting the urge to call the fire department, (sirens were always fun) he got the fire extinguisher from down the hall and was able to put the fire out quickly. That was when he realized that the rag was Dad's lucky purple apron that he had bought in Washington or something. Well. This was a problem. Assessing the situation carefully, he grabbed the apron and rushed downstairs, then stuffed it under the sink. He settled himself innocently on the couch with his video games, doing his best to not think about the apron.

Just then, the door opened and Derek walked in, his head bowed. He was muttering quite loudly, talking to someone who wasn't there, and Simon could here every word.

"Why yes, Jessica, I understand perfectly. You understand it but you can't get it right. Yes, that makes perfect sense."

He sounded very sarcastic. Then he exploded.

"NO! I do NOT understand why you can't figure out that 6y and -3y are like terms. And no, I am NOT wrong, I don't care if you think you're so smart, and I know I can't be right all of the time, but this time I AM, so deal with it!"

He threw his books down on the dining room table and gripped the back of a chair. Simon watched impassively.

"Tough day, huh?"

Derek glared at him and grunted.

"Just keep telling yourself it could be worse. You could have group lessons. At least this way they can't gang up on you."

Derek ignored him, mumbling something about dumb blondes and what they had against reading books.

Simon sighed in mock frustration.

"Now, that isn't very nice bro. After all, your girlfriend is a blonde, and you seem to like her just fine."

Usually at the mention of Chloe, Derek would immediately perk up, but this time his expression almost grew darker. Simon rolled his eyes.

"Don't tell me you aren't excited about seeing her. I know you are. You've been acting weirdly happy the last few days."

Derek scowled, but Simon ignored him.

"Come on, you grouch. Don't tell me you won't be happy to see her. We'll both be thrilled when the weekend comes, though Tori will be there so we may have to find a way to get rid of her. . ."

Simon frowned, and for a moment the two boys wore twin expressions of annoyance.

"But seeing Chloe will be great! You have to admit that, right?"

"She's a girl."

"Well, thank goodness for that. Geez Derek, you think just 'cause all the girls at school act weird Chloe will be acting weird?"

Derek had the grace to look embarrassed.

"Great. Now that your brain in back in the state it should be, I need help with my math. Like, now."

Derek sighed and loosened his grip on the chair. Simon glanced at the metal pole that was the back support of the chair. "You know, if Dad hadn't gotten that new dining room furniture set, the strong type, we would have spent a ton of money on replacements."

Derek grunted. "If I didn't break anything, I'm sure you would have. I see from the dents in the wall that you've been practicing."

Simon grinned. "Hey! My old piano teacher always said, 'Practice makes perfect, so shut up and play!' I'm inclined to agree, at least in this area."

Derek was ignoring him. Simon watched his brother's nostrils flare and remembered the apron. Oops. As Derek turned toward the sink, Simon rushed forward, attempting to distract him.

"Hey, Derek! I forgot, there's some mail in the living room for you. I think it might be from one of those colleges you asked for information. Why don't you go see. I didn't want to open it, because you know, it's none of my business and all but really Derek, you should go . . ."

Derek held up the charred apron and gave Simon an expectant look. Simon rubbed his chin, attempting to look confused. He looked more like Sherlock Holmes trying to decipher a clue.

"I have no idea what happened. I do know it wasn't my fault."

Derek surveyed the damage, glancing at Simon through the huge hole in the fabric. "You know, Dad really liked this apron. Got it in Washington or something like that. You do remember he calls it lucky?"

"What are you looking at me for? I didn't do it!"

"If I wasn't in a good mood I'd tackle you."

"Awww, the big bad wolf is afraid to tackle the innocent Korean kid."

This comment was followed by a few moments of wrestling, but it didn't last long. Christopher Bae walked through the door quietly, wondering what had caused the comotion he had just heard. After being held by the Edison Group for more than three months he was a little skittish. But he relaxed when he sew Derek holding Simon firmly in a head-lock.

"Admit you did it and I'll let you go," Derek said.

"Never!" Simon groaned dramatically. "I can not tell a lie! I cut down the cherry tree!"

Derek lifted an eyebrow. "And what does that have to do with anything?"

"It doesn't. But seriously, it's really interesting. George Washington was a brilliant guy and in the Battle of-"

Derek cut him off. "How about this. You admit to it or I won't help you with your math."

Simon cackled. "Ha! I got you there! If you don't help me with math, I won't help you with English."

"Fine. But I can actually afford to lose a grade. Unlike Mr. C- here."

Simon scowled. "Fine. I admit it."

Christopher Bae had been examining the discarded apron during the entire conversation, and rolled his eyes as he listened. "There's a surprise," he muttered, too low for the boys to hear.

"Admit what?" Derek asked.

Simon glared. "I admit I accidentally burned up Dad's lucky apron. But it was during a science experiment, so it was contributing to my education, and therefore, to the greater good of humanity. Or something like that."

"That's fine Simon, but can you please leave my clothes out of it next time? There are some perfectly good rags in the closet that you can burn up anytime you like. Within reason." Both boys jumped as Mr. Bae spoke. They spun quickly, already set to attack, but the sight of their father reassured them.

"Hey, Dad! When did you get back? Usually Derek knows as soon as you get in. And would a bonfire in the back yard be within reason?" Simon was already thinking about the torch in the shed. Heh heh.

"I've been here for the past few minutes. And no, that is not within reason. I hope to see the money for this apron in my pocket within the hour. $15.99, buster."

Simon trudged up the stairs, muttering about adults and their particular memories. Derek smiled and settled down on the couch.

"You know Derek, you usually know the second I'm in the driveway. Even if you are distracted by Simon."

Derek gave a wry half smile and leaned back. "Nothing get's by you, does it?" he smiled.

"I've had years of practice. You're Changing aren't you? Tonight probably."

Derek nodded. "I didn't want Simon to know because he promised Chloe that he would tell her as soon as I start again. She wants to be there."

Mr. Bae nodded. "She cares about you very much."

"And I care about her. But I don't want her coming if she doesn't need to. And she doesn't."

"She might think differently."

"It's a five hour trip! She would barely have time to get here and back before school in the morning, and she'd be exhausted all day. No." Derek replied.

"She probably wouldn't care."

"But I do. I don't want her tiring herself out if she doesn't need to. I'll see her on the weekend."

"She would want to be there, Derek, she wouldn't care if she was tired, and don't try and tell me you wouldn't want her there too."

"I do. But I can handle it. I know what's going to happen now, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"You won't even consider it?" Mr. Bae asked.

"No. I can handle it. Really."

"Okay."

Derek nodded. His feelings were a bit mixed. He was glad Dad wasn't pushing it. But he was scared. He was always afraid, even though he knew what would happen. But the pain. . . He shuddered unconsciously. He hated it, the way his bones seemed to break and move, growing, the way his intestines shifted inside his body, more painfully then anything he had ever felt. He stopped himself from thinking about it. But when Chloe was there it was almost completely different. She was always there, no matter what, telling him it would be alright, reassuring him. He didn't want to do it without her, but he knew she couldn't be with him every time, and he needed to deal with his fears now. Even if he didn't want to.

Mr. Bae watched his son's face, catching the emotions. He patted Derek's shoulder reassuringly. "I'll be there. Don't worry."

Derek nodded, not showing anything, but Mr. Bae knew his son well enough to notice the relaxation in his large frame. The two sat silently for a few moments, just enjoying the fact that they were both safe, and both, for the moment, happy.

Upstairs, Simon sat in front of his computer. He had heard enough of the conversation to know what was going on. Derek was Changing tonight, but he didn't want Chloe to know. Simon sighed and shook his head. If Chloe found out, she would be furious. He didn't want her to exhaust herself, but he had seen Chloe angry, and it wasn't pretty. Better to have her happy and tired then angry and wide awake. He clicked on the send button.

"Derek is Changing 2 night."

You guys want ChloexDerek? It's coming next chapter!