Chapter 5

Dinner was full of suspicious looks and weird glances. Everyone wanted to know whether we were okay or not but they didn't ask us it was just implied. I sat to the left of Derek, he had his hand on my thigh the entire time. It was a protective sort of way of saying he wasn't going anywhere. Which I returned with a gentle squeeze of his hand occasionally. Tori finally broke the silence

"So are you two okay, or what?" she said looking from me to Derek. I smiled and looked up at him placing my hand on top of his.

"Yeah. We are." I said still smiling at him. I looked over to Simon and mouthed for him to talk to me after dinner. I wanted a chance to be able to tell him how sorry I am. I never should have led him on even if I didn't realize I was doing it. He replied by nodding slightly but he didn't look too happy. I felt really bad about everything.

After dinner I pulled him into the hallway upstairs.

"Look Simon. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. You're a really nice guy and I didn't mean to lead you on. I didn't even realize I was doing it. And Derek and I should have told you about us. I'm sorry." I said warily. He smiled and pulled me into a hug.

"I should have never kissed you. I'm sorry about that." and then after a minute he said "Are we cool." I replied with a nod and hugged him one more time and then he headed downstairs.

"Is everything okay with you and Simon?" Derek asked, his voice making me jump.

"Yeah. Yeah. We're fine. Can I talk to you though?" I asked. He cocked his head but nodded and lead me to his room. He closed the door behind me making me flinch. I looked up at him.

"Derek..."

"You're scared of me aren't you?" he interrupted. He sat on his bed but didn't motion for me to join him. I did anyway.

"No Derek, I'm not scared of you. Why would you think that?" I said resting my head on his shoulder. His muscles tensed but he moved his arm wrapping it around me anyway.

"You are aren't you. You always jump when I talk to you. Yesterday when I hurt you. You just looked so scared." he turned to me putting a hand on my cheek. "I don't want you to be scared of me." he said a single tear slipping out of his eye. I wiped it off of his cheek and looked into his warm eyes.

"Derek. I'm not scared of you. Sometimes I jump when you sneak up on me because I'm still flighty. I still get scared easily. Yesterday was stupid, can we just forget about that?" I said. It came out sounding a little more anxious then I wanted it to.

"No Chloe. I hurt you and I scared you and I can't just forget that. I don't want it to happen again." He argued pushing his hair up out of his face.

"What are you saying?" I asked worry etched into my face.

"Chloe. I love you. But I don't want to hurt you." he said another tear falling.

"Derek. We can work through this. I'm alright. You didn't know I was so close to the door. Please Derek. Don't do this. If you don't want to hurt me then don't do this." I said tears brimming my eyes.

He said nothing. Just reached for me. He put his hands on my cheeks and brought his face so close to mine. I hesitated, waiting for the moment to happen. But it didn't. Instead he lowered his hands to mine and pulled away. The next moment happened in slow motion for me. He stood to walk out of the room and I grabbed for him. Wanting, praying that he wouldn't leave. He couldn't just leave. But he did. He left. Just like that. I started to full on sob. I sat back down on his bed and just cried. I don't know how long I was there but when I heard a knock on the door I was curled up in the sheets that smelled strongly of him.

The knock came again. I didn't say anything. I heard the knob turn and I just sat there. Dazed. Someone walked in and gasped. I didn't look up to see who it was. I didn't even turn my head. But I knew it was Simon. He reached for me. He sat down beside the bed so he was on my level. He looked me in the eyes and said something, but I was too dazed to notice. He said it again. Words. I couldn't hear him. I couldn't hear anything. He shook me, trying to get a response from me but no response came. He yelled for someone. I don't know who. But three other people came running into the room. No. Make that four. The fourth person hung back, staying near the door not wanting to get in the way. Because last time something had happened it had been his fault.

All of these people and I could only focus on one. Derek. I couldn't see him, but I sensed his presence. I felt the air grow warmer as the heat radiated off his skin. I smelled him, his strong musky scent. I missed that scent. People got in my face. They shook me, prodded me, anything to get a response. I don't even know if I was breathing. I floated away from my body. Not sure what was happening. I wasn't dead, I knew that, but I also couldn't figure out what was happening to me. And suddenly I knew. It was my new power. I could travel from my body as a ghost when I was asleep, but how did I control it. How did I get back to them. I tried to say something but none of them heard me.

I saw Derek now. Sitting there, anxiously waiting. Everyone else was gathered around me. One of them started to cry, Tori. I had to stop this, but I didn't know how. I flew back to my body and concentrated. Concentrated on me. My body, my ghost returning to it.

Before I knew it I could move. I opened my eyes, and everyone gasped. Someone yelled that I was okay, others prodded me with questions. I shook them off, telling them I was fine and that I didn't want to talk right now. I told everyone to leave but Simon. He was the only one I could stand to talk to right now. Tori would insult Derek, Aunt Lauren would say I told you so, I just didn't have that connection with Kit that his children did and if I talked to Derek. Well I couldn't

Simon was the only one left in the room and he didn't ask any questions. Simply waited for me to start talking. And I did. I told him everything. Everything that happened with me and Derek and everything that had happened since then including how I had overheard them talking about my new power. I cried as I told him. He just sat there and held me. He listened and then when I finished he just whispered into my hair that I shouldn't have to deal with all of this.

"I'll knock some sense into Derek. He would be an idiot if he left an amazing girl like you. I think he is just worried that his powers are getting out of control. And hey, you have a new power now. That's pretty cool." he stroked my face as I answered.

"Yeah." I said shakily. I leaned on him as he told me all of the interesting things that were happening in his life. There was a light knock on the door, and then a sharper one. I groaned and buried myself even further into Simon's chest. He laughed.

"Who is it?" he called out.

"It's..uh...It's Derek."the voice from behind the door replied. Simon cast a worried glance in my direction but I shook it off.

"Might as well just get it over with." I whispered. Simon smiled and whispered back

"It will be fine Chloe. Once he realizes how beautiful and talented you are he'll come running back." He smiled and then kissed my forehead. He got up as I curled up under the covers again. I heard hushed voices and then the door closed.

I sat up after a moment or two and saw Derek standing a few feet away.

"Hey." I whispered, the word only audible to him.

"Hey." He whispered back. "Chloe. I'm sorry." he started but I interrupted him.

"No. Derek do you not realize how much you mean to me. Do you not get that I would give the whole world just to be with you. I love you Derek. How could you just throw that away. I need you and I can't do this without you. Please Derek. You didn't mean to hurt me, I get that. Please." I started to sob

"Please don't do this to me. I won't get over you Derek. I won't" I tried to stop crying by wiping my eyes but he grabbed my hands. "Please." I whispered pathetically. He let the tears spill out of his eyes as he whispered back. "I won't.". I smiled between sobs and he put his hands on my cheeks and kissed me. Really kissed me. After a few minutes I pulled away gasping for air. I smiled at him and leaned into his arms.

"Why does this keep happening to us?" I asked

"I don't know Chloe. But we will work through it. Always." He smiled at me. I smiled back and buried my face into his chest. We stayed there until I started to doze off. He nudged me to wake me up a bit as he situated himself under the blankets. He pulled me under with him and I curled up on his warm chest. He whispered something into my hair but I was already asleep.

(I'm so sorry guys but this is an authors note. I just wanted to let you guys know action is coming in the next chapter. ^_^ I was thinking about bringing in some of the characters from the darkness rising trilogy. If you haven't read it you are seriously missing out because it is fantastic. Anyways yeah, just wanted to let you guys know. If you have any suggestions pm me or leave a review, up to you.)

-Jordan