Alright, I've been planning on doing Derek's birthday at some point, so I might as well do it now. I did have some help with ideas for this story, so I'd like to thank Brittana4ever for the ideas.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Darkest Powers
This is a sort of continuation of Chloe's birthday which means it will mention some things. It's three years later.
Derek's POV
The snow billowed around me as a stared out into the white mass. Sitting on the bare branch of an oak tree in the middle of the woods wasn't exactly my idea of a good time. Especially when it's February and temperature decided to plummet down to negative twenty five. I would like to be inside, sitting in the warmth of the fireplace and listening to Chloe talk about her day. Unfortunately, today happened to be an "important" day and I knew that the house was filled with people even though I told Chloe no. Apparently birthdays are times of celebration. I've never seen the appeal, especially when they're mine. The only birthday I'm willing to make a big deal about is Chloe's, and that is only because it makes her happy. I, on the other hand, would rather spend my birthday like any other day. Which is why I'm sitting in a tree in the middle of the woods instead of being inside with the "surprise" party.
Taking a deep breath, I pulled the collar of my coat farther up to protect my face. The snow was coming from behind me, but the cold was attacking all sides. Leaning back, I closed my eyes and listened to the wind. It seemed to be pulling me away from the house and the party. At least somebody's on my side. I knew that Chloe would be really disappointed that I didn't want to go to the party. Okay, she would be pissed. Then she would be disappointed. I'm sure that the party isn't solely for me. We finally put the finishing touches on the house. Well, almost. There was one room that Chloe wouldn't let me touch. And after three years of making changes here and there, she was finally willing to take a step back and look at all the hard work we put into it. Every room had been repainted and some refurnished. The most change we did was our own bedroom. Not only did she want to repaint, she wanted to tear up the carpet and put in hardwood floors. Not that I complained. It made her happy. Not that she said anything, mainly because it was supposed to be a surprise, but I was positive she was really excited about showing everyone the house. And I'd be excited, too…any day but my birthday where I'm the center of attention.
Clearing my head of any thoughts, I let nature take over. Focusing on nothing but the wind and snow, I was a little surprised when I heard a noise. Sitting up, I looked around me. It was hard enough to see through the snow, but with the howling wind, I wasn't sure which direction it came from. I listened hard, but it didn't come again. Shaking my head, I leaned back and tried to clear my head again. My eyes snapped open when I heard it again. It sounded eerily like…
"Derek!"
Groaning, I hit my head back against the tree. So much for hiding. I didn't call out to her, though. Part of me was hoping that she would give up and turn back.
"Derek!" she called.
She was getting closer. I drew my dangling leg up and tucked it under me so that she wouldn't see it. A few minutes later, I heard a stick crack and Chloe called me name again. She didn't see me, though, and kept walking until she was directly underneath me. I watched her swivel her head in an effort to find me. When the wind picked up again, her own coat didn't seem to cut it and she began to shiver harder. She pulled it as close as she could and it still wasn't enough to stop her teeth from chattering. Feeling guilty, I was about to get down from the tree when she turned around and took a step back. A hole claimed her foot and she started to fall. I dropped from my perch and gathered her in my arms before she hit the ground. I was expecting her to be angry with me for hiding in the woods, but as soon as she figured out that she was being held by an overheating werewolf, she buried her head in my chest and found the bottom of my coat, sending her freezing hands into the warmth underneath. I jumped when I felt those cold fingers hit my bare skin and I unzipped my jacket, guiding her inside it with me.
"What are you doing out here?" she asked when her teeth stopped chattering enough to form words.
"I thought that was obvious," I answered. I rested my cheek against her head and tightened my hold on her. "I don't want a party."
"There's no party," she said.
I tilted her chin up and looked her in the eye.
"There's no party," she repeated, looking me straight in the eye. I wasn't sure whether or not to believe her. I could usually tell when she was lying and she didn't seem to be.
"Come inside," she said, wrapping arms around me and sniffling.
"You shouldn't have come out here. You're gonna get sick," I said.
"What about you?" she countered.
"I don't get sick," I argued.
"You know what I mean," she huffed. "It's really cold out here and the snow is really coming down. You could have gotten lost and then you'd be wandering for hours before you freeze to death."
"You have a lot of faith in me," I said sarcastically.
"I worry," she said. "You need one of those pet things. That tells the owner where their pet is."
"I'm your pet?" I asked, slightly disgusted by the idea.
"No," she said. "But I can never find you."
"You found me now," I said.
"Only because I fell," she said. "If I wouldn't have fallen, you would have let me keep walking."
"Only toward the house," I said.
She fought a smile and said, "Come inside with me."
"You promise there's no party?" I said.
"I promise," she said.
Nodding, I took off my coat and slung it over her shoulders. She started to protest, but I zipped it up and started guiding her back to the house. Sighing, she went along with it and held on tightly to my hands. She relaxed a little when we could see the light streaming out the window in the kitchen. I opened the back door and let her go in first. I finally got a good look at her and saw that her cheeks were bright red and she looked practically frozen. Stepping out of my boots, I picked her up and carried her over to a chair. She didn't argue as I unzipped my coat and flung it in a pile on a dry part of the floor. Her coat followed after and then it was the little things, her scarf, her gloves, etc. I gathered her hands in mine and rubbed, trying to get the blood flowing. When I looked up at her face, she gave me a small smile and leaned forward. I returned the smile and met her frozen kiss. I winced when I felt how cold her face was and I gathered her entire body against mine.
"Why is it that you always end up an ice cube?" I asked.
"Because then I have you to thaw me out," she answered.
I just shook my head and said, "I think what you need is to curl up in bed."
"Hold that thought," she said, gently pushing me away so that she could stand up. She grabbed my hand and started pulling me out of the room.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked, confused.
"Just wait," she said.
I was about to ask again when she pulled me into the living room and I heard cheering. I blinked and looked around. The room was filled with people. When I finally realized what was going on, I turned to Chloe and crossed my arms, raising my eyebrows and giving her a look. She bit her lip and said, "It's not a party. It's a…gathering."
I shook my head and leaned down to whisper in her ear so that nobody else could hear it, "Yeah, and when I lock you in chains in the basement, it won't be punishment…it'll be foreplay."
Her face turned bright red and she gently smacked my arm, "Pervert."
I gave her a cocky grin and went to greet the crowd.
"Happy 24th, bro," Simon said, slapping me on the back.
"I thought you had work?" I said.
"Chloe called and there's no way I was going to miss this so I flew in," he grinned.
"Yeah, you might have dog breath, but this is an opportunity to piss you off that I wasn't going to miss," Tori said, coming up behind me with her boyfriend in tow.
"You had to invite her?" I asked, turning to Chloe.
"Come on, she's your sister," Chloe said.
"She's Simon's sister. She's my nightmare," I said.
Chloe smiled and said, "Poor Derek."
I just fixed her with a look and wound my arm around her waist, pulling her against me. She leaned against me and looked up.
"You're not mad at me, are you?" she asked, giving me her best innocent look. I couldn't resist and I leaned down and kissed her firmly. When I pulled up, I smiled down at her and said, "I wouldn't know where to begin."
"Alright, I've had enough vomit opportunities," Tori said. "I came all the way from Miami to snow-infested New York. I want cake."
"Won't you get fat?" Simon asked, "I mean, it's tough to look at you now and you want to put on more weight?"
The look she gave him could strike someone dead. She grabbed Dean, her boyfriend's, hand and tugged him towards the table with the cake.
"Are you trying to kill yourself?" I asked him.
"We're in a room filled with normal people," Simon said. "She wouldn't dare. And she's staying in a hotel with Dean, so I won't have to worry about her strangling her in my sleep."
"And you, one would assume, are staying in a hotel?" I asked.
"Are you kidding? I come all the way from Chicago to see my big brother. Why would I want to stay in a hotel?" he said. He slapped me on the back and I watched him wander around the room, probably looking for someone single to hook up with while he was here.
"Well, Mr. Souza. How's your birthday been?" Chloe said.
"Well, I'm kinda looking forward to when everybody's gone," I said.
She looked up at me, confused, and asked, "Why?"
"Because once everybody's gone, Ms. Saunders, it's just you, me, and the bed," I said, wrapping both arms around her and pulling her gently into me.
Instead of blushing, she bit her lip and said, "Is that a promise?"
I smiled and said, "Count on it."
…,,,,…
Lying stretched out on the bed with my arms behind my head, I was completely content. I heard Chloe fussing around in the bathroom. Looking over at the clock, I frowned. She's been in there for a while.
"Are you okay?" I called, sitting up.
"I'm fine," she said, a little nervously.
A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened and she stepped out. My t-shirt hung down halfway to her knees, hiding the shorts underneath. She looked nervous and she was hiding something behind her back.
"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked.
"I'm fine," she said. "I still have to give you your birthday present."
"You didn't have to get me anything," I said.
"Well, it was kind of a team effort," she said.
When I looked at her confused, she slowly walked over until she was standing next to the bed. She took a deep breath and held out a box. I grabbed it and saw that it was an empty pregnancy test box.
"I don't understand," I said.
"Well," she said, "Women use pregnancy tests to find out if they're pregnant."
"I know that," I said. "Why are you handing me an empty box?"
"Well, like most women who buy pregnancy tests, I took one," she said. She held out a stick and I grabbed it, my eyes staying focused on her face the entire time. Looking down, I saw a small plus.
"Chloe, these things aren't always accurate," I said.
"I know," she said. She held out a piece of paper and said, "Which is why I went to the doctor."
I grabbed the paper and read the words. It took me a few minutes to make sense of what I was reading. Pregnant. Chloe's pregnant. Looking up at her, I saw her watching me. I looked down one more time before silently handing her back the paper. Her face told me that it wasn't the reaction she was hoping for. She looked close to tears and she started to turn away. Reaching out, I grabbed her and pulled her onto the bed so that she was straddling me. She gasped in surprise.
"Where do you think you're going?" I asked, pushing a hair away from her face.
"I-I," she started.
Instead of letting her stutter her words out, I pulled her down for a kiss. It took her a second, but she got the message and pulled herself closer. When I heard her soft moan, I pulled back and rested my forehead against hers.
"You're not mad?" she whispered.
"I wouldn't know where to begin," I answered.
She looked down at me and said, "You do want kids, don't you?"
"Well, I've never pictured myself as a father, but yeah. I guess it's crossed my mind before," I said.
"How many do you want?" she asked.
"How many are you willing to give me?" I countered.
She seemed to think for a minute before saying, "I think two is a good number."
"Why two?" I asked.
"Well, I don't want our child to be an only child. Growing up, it was just me. And moving around a lot, it kind of took its toll," she explained. "But you had Simon and when you guys moved, you still have each other."
"I like that logic," I said. "I like two."
"Well, number one's on the way," she said, pressing her hand to her stomach. I covered her hand with mine and smiled.
I flipped her over so that I was above her and said, "I guess we'd better practice."
"For what?" she asked.
"For number two," I said.
She laughed as I leaned down and found her neck with my lips.
She lifted my head and said, "I almost forgot. Simon left with Megan and he left a card for you."
Sighing, I sat up and reached over to the nightstand. Ripping it open, I ignored the "humor" on the cover and flipped to the inside. Happy Birthday, D. Fifty bucks says it's a girl.
I looked over at Chloe and said, "You told Simon?"
She smiled and said, "Have you ever tried keeping a secret from him?"
Smiling at that familiar line, I tossed the card back on the nightstand and leaned down to finish what I started.
Okay, so Derek's birthday is finally done. My next one will probably be Mother's day and I haven't decided if they're going to be big or small.