YAY! It's the weekend! So here we are, after over a year of writing this story, we have come to the end… Before you begin to read this story I just want to say a big thanks to all the people who've reviewed this story and given me a kick up the backside when I didn't update soon enough….

Chlereklover, CaitieCat78, ..Now, TheBlueEyedOne, Pinklinlin, Bookninja15, QueenLeAcH, DofD, LandOfTheLivingSkys, Winkadink, Cupcake Angel, Brittana4eva, XNatsumiX, DevilCharms, FireflyBlizzard, SeddieBangelandWarriors4eva, CrazyObsessedVampireGirl, .Writer, ChaaisSaying, runinplace, moon-called-princess, rei of the wolf clan, Mikado X Goddess, 357 9JM, Edwards1Lover, RenesmeeRedbird, He's My Unrequited Love98, Taste the Rainbow- Or Else, Chloeluver4321, karreana, walliezinga, alwaysreading25, epickerthanyou, luvbooks22, Lena1997, Lil Hamari, TyntylaGirl, Book-Geek4, MoonWolfGirl13, Crixtine, desigirl97, Ginger1510 and Jayfire

If your name's up there, it means you are absolutely, positively, 100% AWSOME! I am so sorry if I missed anyone; if I did you're still awesome! :D xx

Changing the Future

I had my eyes shut tight, not daring to open them. Tears still managed to leak from my eyelids and roll down my cheeks though. My body was tensed and rigid and I started to ache all over, but couldn't seem to relax. I felt completely alone. Rae wasn't with me anymore. She was gone. Just like the reality I lived in for most of my life. What reality would I live in now? Did I fix it? Are my family alive? Or have I just made a mess of things and made things worse?

My heart tightened with the thought of having a worse reality than before. I knew I wouldn't be able to go on if Simon, Tori and Derek were still dead and I didn't have my Aunt or Kit with me. All that trouble, only for me trip at the last hurdle. But I knew that if I fell, there was no way I would be able to get back up. Not without someone to help me. I realise now that Rae was with me the whole time. She turned me in the right direction when I went the wrong way—and now even she's gone.

A heartbroken sob broke through my throat, my eyes opened and a stream of tears flowed down my cheeks and soaked the pillow beneath my head.

Pillow?

Why am I lying on a pillow? As my vision cleared of tears I saw I was looking up at a ceiling with a lamp shade covering a light bulb. I was in a room—a bedroom. I slowly turned my head to the side and saw the other side of the double bed I was laying on. Whose bed is this? It's not mine; I've never been in this room before.

I run my hand over the soft duvet that covers me from my shoulders to my feet and it feels so real I know this can't be a dream. I sit up from the bed and slide my legs out from under the covers. I sit on the springy mattress and try to get my bearings and wipe my tears away. I look around the room and see people's possessions all over the place. There are two wardrobes and a vanity mirror with a desk and stool on one side of the room. I'm guessing this is a man and a woman's room, there are things on the desk that could only belong to a woman and things that would belong to man. I get up from the bed and look at the objects scattered on the desk. There's a hairbrush and pins, cosmetics and perfume—that's the sort of cosmetics and perfume that I used to have. I make my way over to the over side of the room and find other possessions, things like men's aftershave. I pick up the bottle and breath in the familiar sent. It's the aftershave Derek wears.

My heart speeds up at the thought of Derek being near and scan the room for the door. I slowly but surely walk out the room and I run my hand along the hallway walls and look around, trying to recognise something but come up blank. I make my way down the stairs but something stops me in my tracks. As I walked down the hallway I didn't see the pictures lining the walls. I look closely at a picture of two boys and three girls standing together with their arms around each other and smiling happily at the camera. Behind them a blue sea glistens in the sun and the sand beneath them sticks their feet. The tallest boy in the picture, someone I would recognise anywhere, had his arms around the smallest girl in the picture, a face that I could clearly see was my own. A boy with blonde hair and almond shaped eyes had his arm around the neck of a girl with short dark hair in what looked like a head lock, but the smiles on their faces made it less violent, just a brother and sister playing around. And the last girl in the picture, with her copper curls shining in the sunlight, had a bright grin on her face as she sat in the sand with her arms out stretched proudly towards the sandcastle in front of her.

It was Derek, Simon, Tori, Rae and I at a beach. Only, I don't remember this day. This day never happened in my reality. I quickly scan the other pictures and see the smiling faces of my family in every one. And every one I don't recognise. I make my way down the rest of the stairs and hear the muffled sound of voices coming from behind a door.

I walk towards the voices with bated breath and carefully make my feet move faster. Not daring to believe whose voices are bickering in the room behind the door until I see them for myself. I slowly inch the door open and the scene before me makes me freeze in place and choke silently on my own breath.

"Simon!" Tori screeched. "That's my sausage! Give it back, stop being such a child!"

Tori stood on her tiptoes trying to reach the sausage on a fork being held as high as Simon's arms could reach, while he roared with laughter and taunted her. "Come get it then if you want it so much."

"Simon," she cried in mid jump for the sausage.

Simon's laughter was cut short when the fork was swiped out of his hand from behind and handed to Tori, who took it with a smug look. "There's your damn sausage, now sit down and eat it," Derek scowled.

Simon, Tori and Derek sat at a kitchen table with plates piled high with food in front of them. "It's cold now," Tori said. "Here," she threw it onto Simon's plate, splashing him with ketchup, "you can have it."

Simon glared at her and stood abruptly from his seat to get a kitchen towel to wipe the ketchup from his top. As he stood he spotted me. "Morning Chloe," he greeted. "Want some breakfast? Derek made a fry up." He said nonchalantly, while rubbing the ketchup, making it worse and spreading it over his top. I stood stock still, too shocked at the normalcy of it all too really take it in. When I didn't respond he looked up from his top and frowned at me. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Oh God," Tori whined. "There isn't a ghost in here is there? I really can't be bothered to deal with that right now."

"You're not the one who sees ghost, Tori. You wouldn't have to deal with anything," Derek glared at her. He looked at me with those green eyes that I've missed so much that my knees buckled and I had to hold onto the kitchen door handle to steady myself. Derek's eyes clouded with concern. "What's wrong? You look ill," he said, striding to towards me. He put his hands on my shoulders and bent down to get a better look at my face. "What's wrong," he repeated.

My breathing literally stopped when his hands made contact with my shoulders and I had trouble getting my words out. "I-I-I…"

"Oh no, not the stutter, I haven't heard that it years," Tori said, while taking a bite of her eggs and rolling her eyes.

Derek turned to glare at her and then turned back to me. "What happened?" The soft look he only reserved for me covering his face.

"You- you're here," was all I managed to get out.

"Well yeah, we all live here," Simon said from the sink where he was still trying to get rid of the ketchup.

"Although not for long," Tori said brightly. "Once you two have tied the knot, you'll be up and out of here and get your own place." Still shovelling food into her mouth she continued. "Then I'll kick Simon and Rae out the house and then I'll have the whole place to myself."

Tori's words went around and around in my head but they didn't seem to sink into my brain yet. "Tied the knot?" Was all I managed to get out.

"Yeah, you know," Tori said, not seeing my confusion, "'tying the knot', 'getting hitched' and all that malarkey." I stood staring at her for a while before she looks up from her food and frowns at me. "What?" she says sharply.

I slowly look down at my left hand as if in a daze and see a sparkling diamond sitting perfectly on my ring finger. I let out a shocked breath and stumble back a bit. Derek lets go of my shoulders and frowns at me in panic. "Chloe," he says warily. "What's wrong? You're worrying me now."

"I don't—when did—can't remember—I don't—," I stuttered. Knowing my jumpy sentences probably don't make sense but I'm so confused.

Some how I made my way into chair at the kitchen table with Simon and Tori and Derek all looking at me as if I were crazy. "What don't you remember?" Simon asked softly.

I look around the clean kitchen, well almost clean, what with all the dirty dishes from the food that's just been cooked and shake my head. "Anything—I don't remember anything," I say breathlessly. "What about you guys? What do you remember?"

They all looked as if they were wondering if they should lock me up in a wacky shack. "What are you talking about?" Simon asked perplexed. "Have you lost your memory? What's the last thing you remember?"

All their faces had the different expression. Simon looked worried, Tori looked at me warily and Derek looked like he was nigh on panic. "The last thing I remember is kneeling next to Rae in Jasper O'Neil's office as I started to fade away," I said. They were all looking at me as if I was crazy before, now they're all looking at me as if I just admitted I wanted to become a pink flamingo: Completely bonkers!

"She's cracked," Tori muttered. I would have jumped to my defence but the sight of Tori, Derek and Simon before me was overwhelming. I wanted to jump into Derek's arms and cry and laugh and smile and scream but if I did all those things, I'm sure I would seem crazier.

"Chloe," Derek said, taking my hand in his. My heart melted at his touch and my breathing increased. The feel of his hand in mine spread warmth through me and I locked my fingers with his, as if my life depended on it. His brow furrowed at the intensity of how I held his hand but he didn't let go. "Who's Jasper O'Neil? It must have been a dream."

A dream? It could have been a dream. But that doesn't explain why I can't remember anything and why I can remember what happened with O'Neil. I shook my head confused and tightened my hand around Derek's. If it was dream then it was a nightmare. I can easily except it was a nightmare, which would be much easier than believing it was real.

But I know it was real.

I did it! I thought with an amazing sense of triumph and satisfaction. A huge smile broke across my face and replaced my confused expression. Simon, Derek and Tori exchanged glances at my sudden change in mood. "I did it!" I repeated out loud. I laughed disbelievingly, "I did it! I actually did it!"

I didn't realise I stood up until all the occupants of the kitchen were standing around me with bemused looks on their faces. "Did what?" Simon asked with a stunned look. I know I must be freaking them out with me looking at them as if they were the greatest thing since sliced bread. "What are you talking about?" Simon asked again.

I didn't answer; I just let my instincts guide me. Without any word or thought, I jumped up on my tiptoes and kissed Derek with everything I had. He was shocked and didn't respond at first, but after only a few seconds he wrapped his arms around me and held me closer. It was better then all those dream kisses, much better. It was real.

After an awkward, though pointed, cough from beside us. I let go of my death grip on Derek and turned my delighted smile on Simon and Tori. They looked at me as if I just grew a new head. I launched into Simons arms and hugged him tightly; he was just as confused as Derek but hugged me anyway. I let go of him and didn't hesitate to hug Tori. She looked like she knew what was coming and wanted to bolt out the door, but she was too slow and I caught her in a hug. She didn't hug me back immediately, but after awhile she gave me an awkward pat on the back. "What's your problem Chloe? I think you've lost your marbles," she said.

I laughed and let go of her and smiled wider. I opened my mouth to reply but the sound on feet pounding down the stairs in a rush had me whirling towards the door.

Rae burst through the door in her pyjamas (only then did I realise that I was in my pyjamas too), looking panicked and dishevelled. As soon as she saw me she started babbling. "Chloe!" She exclaimed. "You're here! You're alive!" She looked down at herself. "I'm alive!" She looked around the room and her eyes widened at the sight of our family. "We're all alive!"

"Hold it!" Simon said, raising his hands and looking around the room. "Am I the only one that's confused? What the hell is going on? Have you two been popping crazy pills or something?"

Ignoring Simon and the murmured agreements to his confusion I envelope Rae in a hug and she hugs me back just as tightly. I gasp in shock as images flash through my head like a slide show when I made contact with Rae. The first set of images I recognise: my mother, my father and I when I was young. All the schools I ever moved to. Lyle House. Being on the run. The safe house. The aftermath of the fight with Davidoff. Derek—lots of Derek. Then images that I've never seen before but are so familiar: Moving around, but without the constant threat of Jasper O'Neil. Buying a house with Simon, Tori, Rae and Derek. All of us, including my Aunt Lauren, Kit and Rae's mother, together, happy. Derek and I together in a beautiful meadow, where he gets down on one knee and produces a gorgeous diamond ring, which now resides perfectly on my left hand. This is the reality that Rae and I made—the better reality.

Just as quickly as the images came, they went just as quickly. I pulled away from Rae's hug and the smile on her face tells me that she just had a similar experience. "What's going on!" The chorused question from behind us had us turn to face the family we had back. The family we fought to save.

Rae hugged everyone in the room—yes, even Tori, although reluctantly. I went back into Derek's arms and held onto him tight. "You wouldn't believe us if we told you," Rae said.

"We already think you're crazy so what's the difference?" Tori asked.

"Oh," I said. "We just went back in time and changed the future." Rae and I shared a look and smiled.

Derek, Simon and Tori can think we're crazy—I don't care—as long as I have them back. As long as I changed the future.

Now that I'm here at the end I don't know what to say. To be honest, throughout this whole story I had no idea what I was going to write until I was about to write it. So, I don't know if this ending is good enough but I hope you like it all the same. I enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoyed reading it. It is the epilogue so it's short but I hope it ties up any loose ends. Again, thank you to all those who added this story to their favourites and story alerts. And a massive thanks to all those who Reviewed this story. I'm gonna take a break from writing for a few months (wonder how long that's gonna last) and take a break from the Darkest Powers, maybe try a Harry Potter fic or Mortal instruments, who knows. But that's not to say I won't be writing any more DP fics, I probably will. So to all of those who have come this far and are still reading this, I thank you and ask for one small favour... Review Changing the Future for the last time? Pretty please?
I love everyone who has read this story and thank you once again :D x
PurpleFire...xx