After the wonderful silence subsided and I opened my eyes Taylor entered the room with a fat lip and black eye. I stifled a laugh. Taylor shot me an evil glare and went to sit down in a chair on the opposite side of the room.

"What happened to you?" Jenna asked looking over at him with amusement in her sparkly brown eyes.

"Nothing." He grunted staring at the floor. I smirked. He lost the fight surprise, surprise.

Derek stalked down the steps, not a scratch on him. I burst out laughing; he looked over at me his sparkly green eyes laughing with me. He went into the kitchen where I followed him.

"I hope you didn't hurt him to bad." I said sitting on the black granite island as I watched him sift through the cupboards before he found a bag of chips and ripped them open.

A smile tugged at his lips as he turned to face me. "No, just bad enough for him to know not to pick a fight with a werewolf." I laughed and lightly kicked him. "Hey!" He said teasingly leaning against the island next to me.

I smiled again and rolled my eyes. "So have you started training yet? He shook his head.

"There's no one to train with." He said sighing looking out the window. "But I hear you're doing quite well."

I turned crimson. "I guess." I said with a shrug turning my head so he couldn't see my blushing face.

He grunted in reply as Dan walked in. "Hey." I said smiling at him.

"Hi." He said looking for something to eat before finding another bag of chips and ripping them violently open. "So how was training?" He asked me looking at Derek.

"Fine. I'm just really tired."I said yawning for unneeded emphasis.

He laughed. "Yeah the twins really work you hard don't they." He was being sarcastic.

I rolled my eyes playfully. "So," Dan said carefully "what happened to Taylor?" I looked at Derek; he looked up then back out the window and shrugged. "Well it looks like he got hit in the face pretty good and if me, Andrew, and Simon didn't do it than who did it?"

Derek kept his mouth shut. "I knew it!" He said happily dancing out of the room. Guess he isn't all dark and gloomy like we all thought he'd be.

"Well he's going to be a pain in the ass huh." I said trying to lighten the mood but failing considerably.

Derek looked at me surprised that I said that and we both burst our laughing. "When do you say that?" He asked after we finished laughing.

I shrugged and looked up at him and finally I saw the touch of fever in his eyes. "You're going to change again soon aren't you." I said making it a rhetorical question. He nodded. "Is it going to be like last time?"

Derek shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not." I groaned. "What?"

"It would be so much simpler if we knew what to expect." I sighed.

"We?" I looked up realizing I made a mistake.

"Uh, I I it's just that, uh we've gone through it a all t together a and I j just thought that…" I trailed off from rambling and looked up at him.

He smiled and leaned down, I leaned up. We pressed our lips together gently at first, then we got more passionate he dropped the chips to the floor and put his right hand on my hip and his left trailed up and down my back. My hands twisted in his hair as we kissed with such force it was a good thing I was sitting down.

When we parted we were both gasping for air when everyone except Taylor came bursting in the kitchen. We looked up, my face turned beat red but no one noticed. "Taylor is working for the Edison Group!" Andrew breathlessly exclaimed.

My eyes grew wide but why had I expected this? Oh My God! I just kissed Derek! And it was so, so perfect ,well until this.

"Well what do we do?" Derek asked folding his arms across his chest.

"The Edison Group is on their way now! We have to leave!" Andrew exclaimed. For some reason this infuriated me.

"Why do we want to leave?" I exclaimed. Everyone was startled by my out burst.

"Chloe be reasonable pl-" I cut Simon off.

"Why should we leave? This our chance to defeat them without having to go to headquarters!"

"Chloe." Andrew said calmly. "I have thought about that and the outcome doesn't look good."

"The outcome you see or the one that can really happen?" I accused.

"Chloe don't be an idiot. We have to go." Tori said coming into the kitchen.

Everyone was against it, even Derek and Simon whose dad is currently in the headquarters of our worst enemies. I looked up at Derek and sighed.

"I guess we have to pack." I said heading upstairs.

We were all packed with in an hour. I triple checked my bag. I had my money, clothes, toothbrush, hairbrush, socks, yep that was everything.

Pilling into the van I looked back at the "safe house" my mind reeling and read pooling in my heart. I blinked back the tears and focused on Derek's clear face that was next to mine.

That made me feel better. I looked at Simon and the feeling came back, so I focused my eyes on Derek's beautiful green eyes he looked down and smiled. I did my best to smile back but he saw through it.

Derek gripped my hand firmly giving it a gentle squeeze. I squeezed his hand back and leaned my head against his arm and closed my eyes. Geez I was tired…

I drifted into unconsciousness against Derek's warm arm. I heard quiet murmuring making me stir. I opened my eyes to see the sun setting and Gina driving. Andrew was on the phone talking to someone.

Tori, Simon, Dan, Jenna, Jennifer, and Jade were all fast asleep. I looked at Derek next to me and shifted so I wasn't leaning on him. "Sorry." I whispered stretching my arms.

"It's okay." He said looking out the window into the darkness, he seemed detached so I didn't prod him.

To keep myself busy I looked out the window letting my mind wander, which was a very bad idea. I wonder where Liz is? I really hope Aunt Lauren's okay, and dad, they can't do anything to him can they? I really hope not. And what about Ray? What about her? Well she's with the Edison Group and... And she betrayed you. But- But what? Grrr.

At 10 o'clock we reached an old truck stop. After Simon, Tori, Dan, Jenna, Jennifer, Dan, and Jade where woken up we went inside to eat. My stomach growled. All I had eaten was half of a muffin.

I couldn't eat much though. Everything settled easily in my stomach. I pushed my plate over to Derek. "You should eat." He said pushing away his empty plate.

Shaking my head I replied, "I'm not really hungry." And I smiled trying to make it look more believable. He took it and scarfed it down within seconds.

"So Tori, why were you yelling at Simon?"

"He took my hair brush." She shrugged.

"I just had to borrow it for a second geez!" Simon said sourly.

"When you want to borrow something you ask, not go into their room and take it!" She spat the words with venom.

"It was just going to be for a second!" Simon exclaimed clearly irritated.

"You ask!"

"Fine, Tori can I use your hairbrush?"

"No." She said briskly taking a sip of water.

"But you just said that if I wanted to use it I had to ask!"

"I never said I'd let you use it."

Simon opened his mouth and shut it again because he knew he'd been beat at his own game. Jenna, Jennifer, and I laughed. Dan looked up. "Dude, it's a hairbrush."

"I know." Simon said exasperated as if he was missing the whole point when really he was the one missing the whole point entirely. We all laughed again even Derek and Dan. "What?" Simon demanded looking at me. I shrugged and took a sip of my Coke. He sighed and walked away.

Gina, jade, and Andrew sat at a spate table in an intense discussion. They looked irritable and wary, probably trying to figure out what to do with us kids.

"Chloe, what's wrong." Derek asked brushing my hand before pulling away abruptly. I pretended not to notice.

"Nothing." I sighed playing with my straw.

"Chloe?" He growled.

"C can I t talk t to y you?"

"Yeah." He said gruffly.

"Not here outside." I whispered.

"Oh uh okay." He answered standing up.

No one noticed our abrupt exit. "What do you need?" He asked leaning up against the rough brick of the building.

"Well ever since we you know kissed you seemed happy at first, but know your, your distant." I said in a sigh leaning on the wall next to him.

He sighed.

"What?" I asked worry evading my voice.

"I've just been thinking about how I'm not good for you, and that you could get hurt because of me and-"

"I get hurt on my own. You and I both know that. And if anything I'm not good for you. You always have to look out for me and save me even though that's not the best job in the world, to watch out for someone as danger proned as me." I said looking up at him.

"But I think you're my uh mate." He whispered so quietly I could barley hear, but I heard him enough.

"Y You think I'm your m mate?" I asked shocked, not horrified shocked.

"I know you don't think it'll work out and-" I wanted to slap the idiot.

"Derek I don't care if I'm your mate. I want to be."

He looked at me in complete shock. "What about Simon?"

"What about him?" I asked staring at my feet while kicking at the gravel.

"I thought you liked him."

"I've never liked him Derek, more as a brother, or a close guy friend."

Relief filled his green eyes.

I'm in love with a werewolf named Derek Souza! Oh my God! It's about time you realized it. You mean us. No I mean you.

We kissed again and went back into the truck stop where no one noticed we were even gone.

I looked up at him and smiled, he smiled back at me. I had to use all my self control not to kiss him again.

Authors note

Hey everyone! I wanted to say thanks to my normal reviewers once again and beg for more reviews. But you guys are so awesome and always make me smile. Hope you guys liked Derek and Chloe's first kiss! Nothing was happening so I decided to skip ahead a couple of boring chapters and make it more interesting. Did anyone predict about Taylor? Oh and yes Derek and Taylor where fighting about Chloe, she just doesn't know it yet. You can review and add criticism as always. Just wanted to say thanks! (If you have questions e-mail me or leave a review!!)

Xoxo

Hope