HARSHER THAN THE BARK
A/N: Hey guys! It has been far too long since I updated and I am so, so very sorry for that! But I want to thank everyone for sticking with me and also, welcome to anyone who has just started reading the story.
I have been working on this chapter for about a month because I just wasn't happy with how it turned out each time I wrote it so, needless to say, I had to rewrite it a few times and I'm not 100% confident that I love how it is now, but this is definitely my favourite version of it so I hope you guys like it! And if you do, leave a review and if you don't...still feel free to give me some constructive criticism.
Also, considering it's Christmas break, I'll probably have a lot of down-time which means that I will be writing and updating as much as I can.
So, Merry Christmas Eve (depending on where you live), here's a small early Christmas present I guess...
Enjoy :)
"Completely grounded." Scarlett muttered into the phone as she walked around her room, gathering everything that she would need for school.
"Why?" Derek asked casually although Scarlett could tell that it wasn't really all that casual considering he sounded pretty stressed. No wonder. What with the full moon fast approaching and him having a pack of teenage werewolves that didn't know how to control the shift. That would stress anyone out.
She paused for a second, she knew that Scott didn't want Derek to know that the Kanima was Jackson because he would immediately kill him if he knew and Scarlett wasn't up for betraying Scott again nor did she want Jackson to be slaughtered, so she thought it would be best to play dumb until they had a plan to save Jackson. "Scott and Stiles."
"What did they do?"
"Um, no point in stressing you out further with details." Scarlett quickly laughed so that they could move away from the topic.
"How'd you know I was stressed?" Derek asked, sounding amused like he always was by her.
"Because I'm not an idiot." She answered simply, putting on her heels that she had missed wearing. Her ankle had finally healed and Melissa had told her that it was okay for her to wear her beloved high heels again and that filled Scarlett with immense joy. Her eyebrows furrowed together when she heard what sounded like a crash on the other side of the phone. "What the hell was that?"
"Knock it off!" She heard Derek shout away from the phone. She couldn't help but laugh a little. He was like an annoyed parent and it was kind of cute. "I have to go before they end up tearing each other to shreds. I'll see you later, okay?"
Scarlett sighed, she felt bad for him. She wished there was more she could do to help with the pack but there wasn't much she could do to begin with. "Okay. Be careful Derek, I love you." She said casually before her eyes widened upon realising what she had just told him.
"What?" Derek asked quickly, a small hint of a smile tugging at his lips.
"Uh, nothing, bye!" Scarlett rushed out, quickly ending the call and screwing her eyes shut before hitting her head off the wall. She didn't know why she had said it, it had just kind of slipped out. Admitting that she loved him out loud was inevitable and like she had convinced herself before, it would happen when it happened but it wasn't supposed to happen like that. It just sounded careless, like she didn't really mean it when she had. She wished she could've said it in a more meaningful way and preferably when they were face to fucking face, not over the phone like an idiot. Crap. What was Derek going to think now? That she was too scared to say it in person so she said it over the phone? It would eat at her all day and then eventually she would see Derek and that was something she both wanted and dreaded with equal measure.
Due to Scarlett's constant worrying, the morning seemed to drag on forever and by the time lunch rolled around, her bottom lip was on the verge of bleeding.
"I think you should stop with the lip biting Scar." Allison whispered to Scarlett, making her snap out of her thoughts to look at the other girl.
"I know." Scarlett sighed, running her tongue over her lip in an attempt to soothe the small cut that had formed from her teeth.
Allison eyed her suspiciously. Scarlett never usually acted like that. She always seemed to have a level head but today, she seemed jumpy and nervous. "What's got you all worked up?"
Scarlett debated whether to tell Allison about her slip of the tongue that morning. Telling her meant risking the chance of Scott finding out, which wasn't something she was ready for, but on the other hand, Allison was one of her best friends and this was the kind of thing that you told your best friends. "This morning…I kinda might've told Derek that I loved him…" Scarlett watched as Allison paused her walking to look at her with wide eyes. "Over the phone." Allison's eyes got even wider before she put her hand to her mouth to cover the slight giggle that escaped her. Scarlett glared at her as she did so and Allison stopped her giggling.
"I'm sorry it's just…that's what has you like this?" She asked, incredulous.
Scarlett rolled her eyes and huffed. "Yes! It's a big deal. You know that we haven't said it before and I'm just worried in case I freaked him out. And not to mention it was over the phone!"
Allison sighed and moved into the wall a bit so that they wouldn't be heard by the passing students. "Look, Scar, these things aren't supposed to be planned out and perfect. Saying that is supposed to come naturally so that's why it slipped out. Because it felt natural. Besides, you've said it before right? To Jackson?"
"Yeah, but I didn't really mean it with Jackson. I just…I wanted to be in love when I wasn't so it's not the same thing. It's not the same because I actually love Derek. Like, really love him…like, I can never wait to see him and when I do, I can't breathe and I get these butterflies and I feel like I don't have to worry about anything just because he's there and when I'm with him I can't think about anything else and when we kiss…it's as if there's these electric charges going through me and nothing else matters because it's just me and him." Scarlett sighed and let a smile grace her lips as she thought about Derek and everything that she had just said. She'd never said those things out loud but it definitely felt good to do so. "Is that what it's like for you and Scott?"
Allison smiled and looked down before nodding. "Exactly what it's like…"
Scarlett stopped her panicking and the girls began walking into the library to see Scott and Stiles. Allison kept looking around, trying to act as normal as possible in front of the cameras that her family had installed in the school. They both made their way over to the aisle next to Scott and Stiles. Considering Allison was supposed to be acting as if she and Scott weren't together anymore, they couldn't exactly be seen talking to one another so they settled for talking through a space in the bookshelf.
Allison handed her tablet through the space to Scott who opened it to look at the translations Lydia had made from the bestiary.
"That's everything Lydia could translate. And trust me, she was very confused." Allison said quietly making Scarlett nod in confirmation remembering last night.
"Yeah, what did you tell her anyway?" Scott asked, looking up from the tablet for a second.
"That we were part of an online gaming community that battles mythical creatures." Scarlett laughed a little at the ridiculous lie they had made up.
"I am part of an online gaming community that battles mythical creatures." Stiles said, deadly serious. Scarlett and Allison looked at him for a second before giving unconvincing smiles and a slight nod.
"O…Oh. Great." Allison said softly, furrowing her brows at the same time.
"Does it say how to find out who's controlling him?" Scott questioned, breaking the awkwardness that was lingering between them all.
"Not really." Allison said, pausing for a second to look around them.
"But, Stiles was right about the murderers." Scarlett said, giving Stiles a smile.
"Yes!" He exclaimed quietly. It wasn't a shocker that Stiles had been right, he was right most of the time anyway.
"There's a story in there about this South American priest who used the Kanima to execute murderers in his village…" Allison trailed off.
"So, see, maybe it's not all that bad." Stiles said, trying to reason with them whilst Scott kept scrolling through what Lydia had translated.
Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but that was until the bond grew so strong that it killed whoever he wanted it to." She said, leaning against the book shelf, watching Allison take out a book and start flipping through the pages.
"All bad, all very, very bad." Stiles stressed, retracting his earlier statement.
"Here's the thing though," Allison started, looking up from the random book she had chosen. "The Kanima is actually supposed to be a werewolf but it can't be until…" She paused, waiting until the librarian had put a book on the shelf and left before continuing.
"Until it resolves that, in its past, which manifests it." Scott finished, reading from the tablet.
"If that means Jackson could use a few thousand hours of therapy I could've told you that myself." Stiles said blatantly.
"What if…it has something to do with his parents?" Allison whispered. "His real parents."
"Yeah, does anyone know what actually happened to them?" Scott asked, making all heads, including his own, turn towards Scarlett who was staring into space still thinking about what she was going to say to Derek when she saw him.
When she noticed the three staring at her she snapped back to reality. "What?"
Scott rolled his eyes at her. "Do you know what happened to Jackson's real parents?" A small frown appeared on Scarlett's face as she shook her head.
"Not really. He kind of always avoided the topic when I brought it up but…I'm pretty certain it had something to do with a car crash." It was true, Jackson had never confided in her the story of his birth parents but she had overheard his adoptive parents talking once about a car crash and Jackson's real parents. How they were related, she had no clue but her best guess was that they didn't survive the crash.
"Well, he doesn't have a restraining order against me so I'll talk to him." Allison said quietly, putting her book back.
"Good luck trying to get anything out of him." Scarlett said nonchalantly. Allison gave her a pointed look and Scarlett just shrugged.
"Well, what do I do?" Scott asked.
"You have a make-up exam, remember?" Allison smiled a bit at Scott, taking his hand through the space in the bookshelf.
"But if he does anything-"
"I can take care of myself." Allison whispered, cutting Scott off. Scarlett sighed as she watched them. It was a good thing that Scott wanted to protect Allison but Scarlett also wished that he would see she didn't need his protection all the time and not to mention he really did need to get his grades up.
"But Allison, if he does anything-" Scott tried to say again.
"Like?" Allison question.
"Weird, bizarre, anything…"
"Anything evil." Stiles interrupted, sticking his head through the book shelf making the girls give him strange looks before Scarlett used one hand to push his head back through, causing him to make a pain-filled noise, losing grip of his book.
After that they all went their separate ways. Scarlett ended up staying in the library to do some extra reading to clear her head, not that it did much good. She couldn't focus on the book that she had chosen and instead her mind remained clouded with thoughts of what she had said. Her confession to Derek that couldn't be taken back and redone.
It wasn't as if she didn't mean what she said. It could've been a lot worse if that was the case. The problem was that she felt as if it didn't mean anything because of how she had said it. Since they had gotten together, Scarlett had often thought about how she would confess her love for him. She wanted it to come naturally but she also wanted to at least have some sort of control over it. She had dreamt about her big speech that would follow those three words and now, she felt that she had let herself down. It hadn't gone the way she planned and she had made some sort of a mess. Not to mention that Derek had probably been stressing out further all day over what she had said. He probably thought that she was crazy for saying it out loud to him and when they saw each other again he wouldn't be too pleased.
Scarlett ran her hands through her hair before groaning and shutting her book loudly causing everyone near her to turn and stare and the librarian to tell her to 'shh.' She rolled her eyes and stood up from the chair she had been sitting in, walking out of the library and to her next class which was located near the locker rooms which meant that while she was on her way there, she overheard two people talking.
"I had…the worst crush in the world on you." Scarlett stayed hidden behind the wall near the locker rooms, only peeking behind it slightly to see that it was Erica who was speaking to Stiles. "Yes. You, Stiles, and you never once even noticed me." Scarlett frowned a little. Despite the fact that she practically loathed Erica, she couldn't help but feel sympathy for her…or who she used to be, rather. Being ignored like Erica had would drive anyone insane. "Exactly how you're not noticing me right now."
Scarlett and Erica both followed Stiles' gaze to the water coming from under the door of the boys' locker room. The three of them stared for a while before the door burst open and Scott was thrown through it, Jackson quickly coming out after him to continue beating Scott. Scarlett's eyes widened and she rushed forward to help Erica pull Jackson off of Scott and help Scott up. When Erica had Jackson restrained, Scarlett moved to help Stiles restrain Scott from attacking Jackson again.
"Scott!" Scarlett and Stiles both shouted, holding him back until he stopped struggling. All of the commotion had caused a crowd to form around them and from the crowd emerged Mr Harris.
"What the hell's going on?" He demanded. Scott and Jackson ignored him and began struggling to fight one another again, despite everyone's best efforts to keep them separated. "Hey! Enough!" Scott shrugged off Stiles and Scarlett's grip roughly, glaring daggers at Jackson. "What do you idiots think you're doing? Jackson? Mr McCall? Stilinski? Miss McCall? Care to explain yourselves?"
The teens remained quiet, exchanging looks with one another but not answering Mr Harris. Scarlett moved so that she was out of the way and standing next to Allison who had appeared from the locker room as well.
"Here, you dropped this." Matt, who no one had really noticed standing there, said handing over Allison's tablet. Mr Harris snatched the tablet out of Matt's hand and used it to point at Jackson and Scott.
"You and you." He began before stopping himself, looking around the circle of teenagers and pointing the tablet around everyone. "Actually, all of you…detention at three o'clock."
Scarlett's jaw dropped and she groaned again. This day was not a good day.
Three o'clock rolled around almost too soon and Scarlett joined the rest of the group that included Scott, Stiles, Allison, Jackson, Erica and Matt, in the library for detention. It seemed as if she hadn't really been out of the library all day.
They all chose seats, Scarlett avoiding sitting near Erica and opting to sit next to Jackson who was slightly more bearable to be around.
"Oh, uh…we can't be in detention together. I have a restraining order against these tools." Jackson said, being a douche like always.
"All of these tools?" Mr Harris asked, motioning to everyone else.
"No. Just us tools." Stiles admitted.
"Fine. You two, over there." Mr Harris said, pointing to an empty table that was further away from Jackson. Scott and Stiles both got up and moved to the other table. Scarlett rolled her eyes at Jackson who didn't seem to be satisfied with them just moving table, he obviously wanted to not be in the same building as them.
Scarlett shared an annoyed look with Allison at the whole predicament before sighing and taking out her phone seeing that she had a text from Taylor.
Taylor: I got you 2 tickets to that rave I was telling you about!
Scarlett laughed slightly. Who the hell was she going to take a rave? Derek wouldn't want to go although it probably wouldn't hurt to ask…and why was she thinking about whom to go with when she was grounded?
Can't. I'm grounded, remember?
Taylor replied quickly.
Taylor: Don't be a bore! Sneak out!
Scarlett rolled her eyes and pondered what to reply before actually typing the message and locking her phone.
I'll think about it.
"Kanima." Scarlett and Allison's head snapped towards Matt who had just said the word after looking at his tablet. He gave the girls a strange look before putting the tablet away and taking out a bag of chips. Scarlett narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, reminding herself that she would have to keep an eye on him before she turned back to her phone. As she scrolled through the pictures of herself and Lydia, Allison, Scott, Stiles, even Jackson, she realised that she didn't have any of her and Derek and that bugged her. She knew that Derek wasn't exactly the type of guy who liked being in pictures but Scarlett at least wanted one picture of him or both of them together.
While Scarlett added that to the list of things she would need to talk to Derek about, she noticed Jackson looking as if he was in pain. "Hey," She said, putting her hand on his arm as he clutched his head. "You okay?" He nodded, his face not matching his answer. Scarlett shared a worried look with Allison as Jackson grabbed his back and rushed towards the exit.
"You don't look so good. Are you okay?" Mr Harris asked him.
"I just need some water." Jackson replied, speed walking out of the library.
"No one leaves their seat." Mr Harris said sternly before walking out after Jackson.
Not obeying Mr Harris, as per usual, Scott and Stiles rushed over to Erica as soon as he was gone and began questioning her about Jackson's real parents. And while that was going on, Scarlett decided to make some conversation.
"So did you guys hear about this rave?" She asked casually.
Matt perked up at that and moved closer to Scarlett and Allison. "Yeah. I actually invited Allison earlier." Scarlett's eyes widened slightly and she looked at Allison who gave her a shrug. "Did you…did you want a ticket? Because I could get you one."
Scarlett smiled politely and shook her head. "No, it's fine. My friend got me tickets." Matt nodded and leaned away again. Now Scarlett knew she would definitely have to go. There was no way that she was allowing Allison to be alone with Matt at some crazy rave. Not that she had anything against Matt, it was just that she thought there was something shady about the fact he came out with 'kanima' a few minutes earlier.
"Mr McCall to the principal's office. Mr McCall to the principal's office." Everyone looked up as they heard Mrs Argent over the intercom. Scarlett wondered what Scott had gotten himself into this time, despite being in detention, of course.
Shortly after Scott had left, Jackson returned not looking much better than he had when he had left. Scarlett eyed him wearily as he sat down, trying to be cautious of him at all times knowing that he could turn into the Kanima at any given moment and possible kill them all.
When Mr Harris began gathering his things, the teens took it as a go-ahead to start packing up as well but he stopped them with a condescending little laugh. "Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, I'm leaving but none of you are. You may go when you're finished with the re-shelving." Scarlett felt her blood boil as she watched him pat the carts of books next to him. She just wanted to go home. "Enjoy the rest of your evening."
"It means that he was born after his mom died. By C-section. They had to pull him out of her dead body." Stiles informed Scarlett, Scott and Allison as they stood in an aisle, putting books in shelves. Scarlett shivered at the horrible thought of Stiles' words.
"So was it an accident, or not?" Allison asked.
"The word all over the report is inconclusive." Stiles said with a sigh.
"His parents could've been murdered?" Scarlett queried, wondering why someone would've wanted to kill Jackson's parents.
Stiles nodded in answer. "If they were then it falls in line with the kanima myth. You know, seeks out and kills murderers?"
"But for Jackson, or the person controlling him?" Allison asked with a raised brow. That was a good question.
"Yeah…if Jackson is being controlled and doesn't remember anything, then how is he supposed to be able to control who he's killing?" Scarlett pondered out loud.
"We have to talk to Jackson." Scott said abruptly "We have to tell him."
"He's not gonna listen!" Allison whispered as Scott walked away from the aisle only to stop as soon as he was out of it.
Jackson, half in kanima form, jumped from shelf to shelf hitting the ceiling as he did so causing bits of it to fall to the ground. Everything seemed to start shaking with the ceiling falling as well as the bookshelves. Scarlett was too distracted by everything crumbling around her that she didn't realise that Jackson was about to pounce on her before someone knocked her out of the way and they, instead, were attacked. Scarlett scrambled back onto her feet and turned back around to see Erica on the ground, her body convulsing violently. She was surprised that Erica saved her but she couldn't dwell on it so her first instinct was to drop down beside Erica and hold her to try and stop the spasms which Scarlett could only guess was due to the toxin and her epilepsy.
She stayed like that, not knowing what to do until she saw Jackson jump out of the window behind her and Scott, Allison and Stiles run out from the aisle beside her. "Scott!" Scarlett shouted, gaining her brother's attention. Both he and Stiles ran to help her as soon as they saw what was happening. "I think she's having a seizure and I-I don't know what to do."
"Well what happened?" Scott asked in a panic.
"I wasn't paying attention and-and she pushed me out of Jackson's way and instead of jumping on me, he jumped on her and cut her neck and she fell and, just help her!" Scarlett stressed, allowing Stiles to take over her position of trying to hold Erica still.
"We need to get her to a hospital." Stiles said before being countered by Erica.
"D-Derek. O-Only to Derek." She stuttered, still convulsing. Scarlett moved out of the way and went to help Allison assess Matt's injuries, on the way stopping briefly to read what was written on the chalk board.
'STAY OUT OF MY WAY OR I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU'
Scott followed after her to talk to Allison.
"Go." Allison said to Scott as soon as she saw him. He gave her an incredulous look.
"I can't just leave you two here." He protested.
"Yes. You can. You need to help Stiles get Erica to Derek and I will stay here with Allison and call an ambulance for Matt." Scarlett said, gaining back her level head that she seemed to have lost earlier.
They heard Stiles shout on Scott again but he ignored him for the time being. "It doesn't feel right leaving you here." He said to Allison while Scarlett continued checking Matt's pulse and putting pressure on where he was bleeding. His injuries were minor but she was still worried.
"It doesn't mean anything." Allison sighed.
"But if feels like it does."
"Just go, Scott." Allison said with an air of finality. He kissed her forehead and Scarlett sighed at the two of them, wishing that Scott would just realise that he didn't always need to be with Allison, especially when Erica's life might very well be hanging in the balance.
Scott left with Stiles quickly, taking Erica with them to Derek and Scarlett told Allison to watch Matt whilst she called an ambulance.
Scarlett drew in a deep breath before making her way down the stairs of the abandoned subway station. This was it. She was going to have to face Derek. She began walking down the steps and looking around wearily for signs of anyone. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she saw Scott and Derek talking quietly. If they had heard then they were just ignoring her because neither of them had turned around yet.
"Hey…" She said quietly, causing both of them to turn her way.
"Where's Allison?" Scott asked immediately.
"She's at home." Scarlett answered, not being able to look at Derek properly without the weight of her confession crushing her.
"And Matt?"
"In hospital. He's, uh, he's fine though." Scarlett told Scott as he made his way towards her.
"And you?" He asked softly, giving her a sympathetic look, realising that he had been neglecting her a lot lately.
Scarlett nodded, looking at him with tired eyes. "I'm okay." Scott wrapped his arms around her and she returned the hug although it wasn't as effective as she thought it would be. As it turns out, she was craving the hug of her boyfriend, not her brother.
They pulled away when Stiles walked out, giving Scarlett a nod. "You coming Scott?" He asked.
"Yeah, just a second." Scott answered, looking back at Scarlett while Stiles made his way out of the subway station. "Are you gonna be okay?" He asked, his eyes flickering to Derek and then back to her.
"Yes." Scarlett sighed. "I'll see you at home." She promised, kissing Scott's cheek before he gave Derek a warning look and then ran off after Stiles. When he was gone, Scarlett allowed herself to look at Derek. "How's Erica?"
"She's alive." Derek answered simply. Not being able to stand being apart from him any longer, Scarlett dropped her bag to the ground and practically ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck while he hugged her tightly. His embrace was warm and comforting and everything that she needed. Scarlett pulled back a bit so that she could kiss him. The kiss was brief due to the fact that Derek pulled away to speak. "Earlier, on the phone…" And there it was. "What did you say?"
Scarlett bit her lip and stepped away from him a little. "You know what I said."
"No I don't." Derek countered, watching her carefully as she shook ever so slightly. There was a beautiful blush that spread across her cheeks as she looked at him with her big brown eyes.
"Yes, you do. You know that I said I love you." Scarlett shook her head, trying to find the right thing to say. "And all this time that I spent worrying over saying three little words, thinking everything would change once I said it…there was no point. Nothing is going to be different. It's going to be the same. You and me. Because all this time, we've been in love but now, I'm saying it out loud. And it feels right even though I thought that it wouldn't be because I have thought about the perfect way to say this to you, over and over again since the night I decided to give you a second chance. But it would suck if the way I said this was perfect because you and me…this relationship…it's not perfect. Not in the slightest and that's what I love about it. It's what I love about us, because this is the one thing that I don't ever want to try and make perfect and I'm pretty sure that you already knew that because you know me and you know that sometimes I can't stand you and I want to punch you because you're a complete dick but I can never bring myself to do it because I never want to hurt you and you know that I don't give a shit that admitting how strong my feelings are for you is dangerous or that because I'm with you, I'm constantly in danger and I live in fear of you not being careful enough one day and ending up dead. You know that I would go against everything and everyone just to be with you and I would literally not be able to live anymore if anything happened to you because you know that I love you. I love you so much Derek." By now, the tears had welled up in Scarlett's eyes to the point where her vision had become blurred.
Derek looked at Scarlett, realising that he had never loved anyone this much before. And she was right, he had always known that she loved him, granted he didn't know how she possibly could, but he had always known. And despite that, he had never expected her words to have such an emotional impact on him. She had said it. She had said those three words that he had longed to hear come out of her mouth from practically the day he met her. She loved him. She was his and she loved him. And he loved her too.
"Say something." Scarlett whispered, so quietly he almost didn't catch it.
Derek had never been good with words. Especially not those words. So, instead of saying it out loud, he decided to do speak his mind through his actions. He wiped the tears away from Scarlett's face and closed the space between them. Scarlett couldn't ignore the slight barb of him not reciprocating his love out loud, but she understood that he wasn't very good at talking about his feelings and she decided she would let it be and just enjoy the fact that he did in fact love her, even if he didn't say it out loud, the kiss they shared said the thousand words Derek couldn't.
The sheer fiery passion of the kiss engulfed them both as they gripped one another, never wanting to let go. This was the kiss that showed the honest, powerful love they held for each other, mixed in with all the need and slight aggression that was buried not too far from the surface for both of them. There was pent up anger on both of their parts but it was overrun by love.
It was only them. Nothing else was relevant. They didn't care about anything else. And they didn't need to. Not when they were with each other. Scarlett's love had been confessed and Derek's too, not entirely in the same way but in a way that made it clear he was in love with her as well, and there was no greater feeling for them than knowing that they were loved unconditionally by the other.
Scarlett's mind was blank except for just two thoughts. This is real. And I love him. She kept repeating the words over and over again in her head while she kissed Derek, running her hands through his hair and trying to pull him as close as possible. She needed more of him. And he needed more of her. The kissing wasn't enough. They had to cement this moment that meant so much to both of them.
Not wanting to disturb Erica, they made a quick getaway to Scarlett's house after finding out that Scott was out with Stiles and Melissa wouldn't be home until later.
They barely made it to Scarlett's room before they were tearing each other's clothes off. They both knelt on Scarlett's bed, locking their lips together softly yet sternly. Derek unzipped Scarlett's dress without detaching their lips and threw it to the ground where their shoes lay. He tangled his hand in her hair and gently pulled her head back so that he would have access to her neck where he placed soft, open-mouthed, kisses. Scarlett let out a loud moan as she felt pleasure wash over her. Derek sucked and bit gently at her sweet spot causing a small bruise to form before he moved on to another part of her neck. Scarlett held on to his arms, closing her eyes and enjoying Derek's lips against her skin. She moved her hands down to his shirt and began tugging at it so that he leaned back and allowed her to take it off of him. They kissed again before Scarlett moved her lips down to his collarbone and the hard planes of his chest. She made him stand up and take off his jeans before returning to the bed. While they connected their lips again in a searing kiss, Derek managed to unhook her bra and slide it down her arms before throwing it to the ground where the other discarded clothes lay strewn around. Before they went any further, Derek stopped and looked Scarlett dead in the eye before letting the brightest smile Scarlett had never seen spread across his face.
"Why the hell are you smiling?" Scarlett panted, being even more turned on by his incredibly beautiful smile.
"Because I love you too." He said huskily. He wasn't sure why he felt the sudden need to say it but it was as if he couldn't go on unless she had heard it because it wasn't fair if he didn't say it back. And honestly, it wasn't as hard as he thought it would be. It was easy actually. It was something he wanted to repeat over and over again in her ear, in front of a crowd of people, in several different languages because that's how true it was. He loved Scarlett. There would never be a day when he wouldn't love her.
Scarlett's eyes widened and her heart soared. She didn't think he was actually going to say it and she was perfectly fine with that but he had. The urge to cry again was strong but not wanting to ruin the mood, Scarlett settled for crashing her lips against his and revelling in feel of his lips, that had just spoken the words she had longed to hear, against her own.
Derek quickly returned to the task at hand and allowed his hand to travel lightly down her body, ghosting over her skin, making her shiver, before sliding his hand into her lacy panties. Scarlett's breath hitched as she felt his fingers against her. She couldn't suppress the embarrassingly loud moan that escaped her mouth. Derek growled, spurred on by not only her moan but also the feel of how much she wanted him. Pushing her down against the pillows gently, he slid her panties down her toned legs and flung them away before trailing his lips from hers, to her breasts and down her stomach until they reached her core.
Scarlett knew she wouldn't be able to last if he kept on doing what he was doing and she couldn't wait any longer for him to be inside of her. "I need you." She breathed out. "Now." He didn't need to be told again. He quickly discarded his boxers and then pressed his lips to Scarlett's as he thrust into her. Scarlett didn't feel any pain like she usually did, but that was most likely due to the fact she was distracted by the taste of herself on Derek's lips. Surprisingly, it turned her on more than she thought it would.
When her mind returned to the feeling of Derek inside of her, her breath hitched with every thrust and with every kiss that he placed upon her lips, she seemed to lose control more and more. He was everything. All she seemed to know was him. Her mind was completely blank of anything else as their bodies moved together perfectly, like they always did. Like they were meant for each other. Two pieces of some crazy puzzle that seemed to just…fit.
Derek's thrusts weren't as rough as they usually were but they still had the same effect of driving Scarlett insane and that was about the only thing that was the same. Everything else felt…different somehow. More meaningful. Like the fact that they had said they loved each other changed something, just like Scarlett said it would. They both came to realise soon enough that this wasn't their usual rough fucking but something else entirely. This…this was love making.
As they both drew close to the edge, Derek took the time to appreciate Scarlett. How amazingly fucking beautiful she was. He knew he didn't deserve her but he didn't care anymore. He had her and he would never know why but he would accept it because she was his and nothing would change that. He was hopelessly in love with this girl. His Scarlett. "I love you, Scar. So fucking much."
Scarlett smiled as he leaned down to kiss her, thrusting into her again and bringing her extremely close to her orgasm.
"I love you too."
And that was all it took. They both climaxed at the same time, moaning each other's names in unison.
They stayed like that for a few more minutes, their bodies moulded together, their breathing laboured, staring into each other's love-filled eyes.
Derek leaned down to kiss Scarlett again before pulling out of her and laying down beside her, pulling the covers over them. Scarlett turned onto her side and moved closer to Derek, resting her hand on his chest while she snuggled into his side. He put his arm around her to keep her close to him instinctively and Scarlett smiled a bit as he did.
"Did that feel different to you?" Derek asked quietly, looking down at Scarlett who nodded.
"Yeah…a good different." Her words put Derek at ease and he was glad it wasn't just him who felt the change.
A comfortable silence fell over the two after that. And it wasn't long before Derek decided that he should probably get back to his pack and see how Erica was. Scarlett's heavy-lidded eyes snapped wide open as she felt Derek move out of the bed. She watched him start to get redressed and once she realised that he was leaving her she stopped him before he had time to put his jeans back on.
"Do you really have to leave?" She asked in a quiet voice, looking at him with big eyes. Scarlett already knew the answer but she wanted to ask anyway.
"I can't stay." Derek felt conflicted as always but at least what he was saying was the truth. He couldn't stay. He wanted to stay but he just…couldn't.
Scarlett nodded and removed the covers from her naked body, standing up and not seeing Derek's breath hitch as he looked at her. He would never really get used to just how beautiful she was, with clothes on and without them. Scarlett walked to her discarded underwear, putting them back on along with the shirt she had taken from Derek a while ago. She walked back to Derek when he had finished dressing and gently placed her arms around his neck, breathing in his scent, that surprisingly still smelled woodsy and masculine, as she nuzzled his neck with her nose. They stood there for a good few minutes, not kissing or doing anything other than hugging. It was simple and sweet.
"I promise, at some point, I will spend the night." Derek whispered into her curly hair.
"Good." Scarlett said with a smile, pulling back and standing on her tiptoes to touch her lips against his chastely. She pulled back after a few seconds and smiled. "Let me get dressed and I'll drive you back." Derek shook his head, about to protest before Scarlett cut him off. "I'm driving you." She walked away to get her dress and Derek knew not to question her again. Scarlett was stubborn and usually, what she said went.
"How's your arm?" Derek asked casually as they drove, the music playing at a low volume. Scarlett's eyebrows scrunched together before she remembered the scratches that were still bandaged up.
"They're a lot better actually. I kinda just forget they were even there." Scarlett laughed a little. It was easy to forget anything when she was with Derek.
"They?" He questioned warily. "I thought you just cut your arm from the vase."
Scarlett cursed herself for slipping up even slightly. She never told Derek that it was scratches; she never said anything about them really. And she still didn't want to sell out Isaac so…she was in a difficult situation. She knew that she should just be honest but something inside her told her that it was an honest mistake on Isaac's part and she really didn't want to get him in trouble with Derek. God knows how that would turn out.
"Well yeah…it wasn't just one cut, it was multiple ones." Scarlett covered up as convincingly as she could. She prayed that Derek would buy it as she fought to keep her heart rate from speeding up. Derek narrowed his eyes at her but then decided that she wouldn't lie to him so he let it be.
"Aren't you supposed to be grounded?" Derek asked with a small smirk, seeming to forget the whole arm thing. Scarlett rolled her eyes.
"My mom's at work, I doubt she's going to find out that I left the house at all."
"Still, that's brave my little rebel." Scarlett blushed slightly as he said 'my.' He never said things like that.
It wasn't long after that that Scarlett pulled up to the abandoned subway station that acted as Derek and his pack's home. Scarlett still didn't like it. They leaned in to kiss one another and Derek made to get out of the car but Scarlett's voice stopped him.
"Hey Derek," Her grip tightened a little on the steering wheel as she pondered what she was going to ask over again in her head. "Do you think I could…talk to Erica?" Derek's eyebrows raised in complete surprise.
"You wanna talk to Erica?" Scarlett looked at him and nodded. "I thought you hated her?"
"I don't hate her!" She quickly snapped. "Look, I just think that if we are going to be together and she is going to be a part of your pack then…maybe she and I should at least try to get along." She paused before improving what she had said. "No, actually, I want to get along with her. For your sake."
Scarlett was stubborn, very stubborn and Derek knew that she did hate Erica but the very fact that she was going to at least try and smooth things over with her made him realise, even more, just how much he loved his girl.
He nodded and Scarlett took that as an okay. Derek was out of the car before her and walking around to her side and the second she was out of the car, he had her pinned against it, smashing his lips to hers in a heated kiss. Scarlett was taken by surprise but she enjoyed the kiss nonetheless, pulling him closer by his leather jacket. He pulled away, all too soon in Scarlett's mind, and grabbed her chin between his thumb and forefinger forcing her to look up at him as he spoke.
"I love you." His voice was stern but loving and Scarlett knew that he really meant it which made her heart melt. Instead of letting her answer in any way, he touched his lips to hers again softly, letting her knew that he knew she felt the same. He turned and started to walk away but not before taking Scarlett's hand in his own and pulling her close to him. And in that moment, Scarlett just simply couldn't fight the ever-growing smile on her face.
Isaac eyed the couple warily as he watched them walk down the steps holding hands. He felt a slight twinge of jealousy knowing that Scarlett would never look at him the way she looked at Derek but he quickly brushed it off, reminding himself that it was just a crush-a crush that he'd had for the past year and a half- but a crush, nonetheless. He knew…or maybe hoped was a better word for it, that whatever he felt for Scarlett would be gone soon.
"How is she?" Derek asked once they had reached Isaac at the bottom of the steps.
Isaac looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "She's alive."
"Great. That means that I can go talk to her." Scarlett said quickly, giving both of them a small smile before letting go of Derek's hand and walking towards the subway car. Isaac was a little puzzled as to why she had smiled at him. He had practically slashed her arm open and she hadn't even said anything to him and neither had Derek which led him to believe that she hadn't yet told him. Or maybe she wasn't planning to tell him at all. He couldn't understand why she wouldn't tell but he was glad about it.
Erica looked up at the sound of Scarlett entering the subway car. She rolled her eyes and leaned back against the window. "What do you want?"
Scarlett sighed and took a step forward, knowing that it was now or never. "To say thank you." She saw Erica's eyebrows furrow together.
"For what?"
"For saving my life." Scarlett said simply.
"I had to." Erica replied quickly. Scarlett nodded.
"No, you didn't. Derek told you not to harm me. If I was crushed, it wouldn't have been your fault and even then, I know that you did it so that you wouldn't get into trouble but regardless, you saved my life. And I don't want to hate someone for saving me." Scarlett admitted truthfully. "That's all I wanted to say. I owe you, Erica."
In all honesty, Erica knew that Scarlett was a good person and she really didn't have a reason to dislike her other than that she had everything that Erica ever wanted. It was true that she didn't have to save Scarlett's life. She could have let her been crushed but at the same time, she couldn't have. And not just because Scarlett was dating Derek, but because she didn't deserve to die.
"Scarlett, wait." Erica said just as Scarlett was about to leave. "I know I act like I hate you, but I don't. And…I'm kind of glad that you came to talk to me." Scarlett smiled a bit and nodded before turning to walk out again. "You're welcome by the way." Scarlett didn't turn back around but she still grinned at Erica's words because for once, they didn't sound bitchy.
Derek and Isaac were both waiting for Scarlett when she walked back out.
"So?" Derek asked, referring to her talk with Erica.
"I know you listened to the whole thing." Scarlett rolled her eyes playfully.
Derek shrugged before walking over to her. "I'm gonna go see how she is and then I'll walk you back to your car." Scarlett nodded at him before he made his way into the subway car, leaving her with Isaac.
They looked at each other for a while, neither of them too sure what to say. Finally though, Isaac decided to break the silence with an apology, keeping his voice as quiet as possible.
"Look, about your arm…I can't tell you how sorry I am. I-I really didn't mean it-"
Scarlett shook her head. "It's fine, honestly."
Isaac looked at her disbelievingly. "You aren't even a little pissed?"
"I was…but it was an accident, Isaac. They happen."
"Well are you okay? Are they…are they bad?" Isaac asked warily. Scarlett bit her lip before unwrapping the bandage to reveal the slashes across her upper arm. They looked terrible, even though they were in the healing process.
"You did that to her?" They both looked towards the doors of the subway car, where they had heard Derek's low words that sounded almost like a growl.
Isaac's face had drained of colour as he stuttered, trying to find some sort of explanation. "I-it was an a-accident…" Derek's eyes glowed blood red and before Scarlett could attempt to stop him, he had slammed Isaac against the subway car.
"If you ever touch her again I swear I will tear your head off!"
"Derek stop!" Scarlett shouted, pushing him away from Isaac as hard as she could and standing between them as Isaac cowered in fear and Derek continued to growl ferociously. "It was an accident."
"You're defending him?" Derek was seething with rage as he watched Scarlett standing protectively in front of Isaac. "He hurt you Scarlett!"
"I didn't mean to-"
"Shut up!" Derek snarled at him, the rage still evident in his voice as he went for Isaac again only to be stopped by Scarlett, again.
"Derek!" She shouted, looking at him disbelievingly. She got that he was looking out for her and he was pissed that Isaac had hurt her but she didn't think he would actually hurt him, nonetheless she kept herself smack between the two of them, just in case, because even though he was furious with Isaac, he would have to go through Scarlett to get to him and they both knew that he would never harm her. "Can't you just accept the fact that I'm alive and hardly even injured?"
"You call that hardly injured?" Derek gestured towards her arm that lacked the bandages that covered the horrid slashes. Scarlett looked down at her arm and sighed.
"I'm pissed at him too. But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you hurt him because of a few scratches." Scarlett moved closer to him, placing her hands on both sides of his face and forcing him to look at her instead of Isaac and when he did, his eyes softened ever so slightly. "I know you. And I know that you would never be able to forgive yourself if you seriously hurt him in the heat of the moment. So do yourself a favour and leave it be, before you end up doing something you'll regret." Derek didn't vocalize his answer, instead he nodded and took a step back, throwing Isaac one last glare before turning his complete attention to Scarlett who gave him a thankful smile. "I need to go before my mom gets home and ends up grounding me for the rest of my adolescent life." Scarlett reached up and gave him a chaste kiss. "I love you." She whispered before walking away and retreating back up the stairs to her car.
The next morning, Scarlett was pleasantly surprised to be woken up by a text from Allison asking if she wanted to go on an early morning run with her, which meant the perfect opportunity to ask her about the whole training thing. She quickly got out of bed, had a shower and got into her running clothes before noticing the bruises on her neck. She cursed. Damn Derek and his tendencies to mark her with hickeys. It wasn't that much hassle to cover them up, which was good. In fact, it was pretty easy considering she had become a master at doing so and her foundation and concealer never let her down.
"You're up early." Melissa noted when she saw Scarlett walking down the stairs.
"Yeah, I'm going for a run." Scarlett said, taking a bottle of water from the fridge as she did so. Melissa narrowed her eyes.
"You do know that you're grounded right?" Her tone remained light even though she was being deadly serious. She took a sip of her coffee while waiting for her daughter's, surely smart-mouthed, reply.
"I'm going running, mom, not clubbing." Melissa smirked at Scarlett's reply. Always a smart ass.
Scarlett stood in front of her mother, waiting for Melissa to tell her she couldn't go. But those words never came out of her mouth, instead, out came some words she hadn't expected to hear. "I shouldn't have grounded you. I was just angry at Scott and I ended up taking it out on you too. I'm sorry sweetheart." Scarlett's eyebrows raised in surprise.
"So…what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that you're no longer grounded." Melissa sighed, sipping her coffee again until the mug was taken out of her hands and Scarlett had thrown herself into her arms.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Scarlett repeated making Melissa smile and hug her back.
"You're welcome. But seriously, don't let yourself get caught up in trouble with your brother. You're both such good kids. I just wish he would talk to me about it instead of acting out like this."
"Mom, Scott's a teenage boy. Talking about his feelings isn't really his, or any guy's," she said quietly, recalling Derek's lack of words when she had confessed her love. "So don't take it personally. You're not doing anything wrong." Scarlett reassured Melissa.
Melissa nodded and stood up from her chair. "So you're still going running?"
Scarlett laughed. "I am still going running."
"Good." Melissa kissed Scarlett's forehead and walked past her. "I love you." She called as she walked up the stairs.
"I love you too!" Scarlett replied, feeling chipper now that her time of being grounded was over. She was feeling better than she had for a while. She and Derek had finally said 'I love you', she was in a pretty good place with her mom and Scott and she was going to get to talk to Allison. So despite the Kanima fiasco, things were…good.
Scarlett's laugh echoed through the trees as she came to a stop by a small stream so that Allison could catch up.
"Jesus, Scar." Allison panted. "This-" She sucked in a breath. "Was supposed to be a leisurely run, not a freaking marathon."
"I'm sorry." Scarlett apologised. "I'm just feeling good, full of energy."
Allison looked up from catching her breath. "You're not gonna make me keep running, are you?"
Scarlett laughed again and shook her head. "No. Actually, I wanted to ask you about something." She said, her demeanour becoming cautious as she leaned against a tree and Allison took a seat on a nearby log.
"What is it?" Allison asked, the curiosity evident in her voice.
"What would you say if I asked you to teach me archery?"
Allison's eyes widened. "What?"
"Allison, please." Scarlett pleaded, moving to sit next to her on the log. "I'm tired of feeling so useless."
"And I understand that, I do. But…what will Scott say?"
"Scott will say nothing because he won't know about it."
"And Derek?" Scarlett gave Allison an incredulous look making her sigh. "Right. Stupid question."
"So…what do you say? You wanna be my hot Yoda?" Scarlett asked with a hopeful smile. After a few seconds, Allison gave in and laughed.
"Okay. I'll do it. And instead of just teaching you archery," Allison said, standing and holding her head high. "I'm going to help you become a hunter."