the other Argent (Teen Wolf x oc)

The calm before the storm

Derek slipped into Evelyn's hotel room. He looked around, trying to see if she was in there. He smiled when he caught sight of her curled up on the small twin bed she had pushed into the corner so her back wasn't to the door or the window. He smiled, realizing that she hadn't even changed out of the clothes she had been wearing that day. A pair of jeans, a deep green tee shirt, and a leather jacket. He walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed and slipping her black ankle boots off her feet. He leaned forward, moving her hair out of her face. It was mostly still in the braid she kept it in, but a few pieces had come out, the wisps falling across her face. Jennifer had left the loft a couple of hours ago to get ready for work. After she had left, Derek had called Scott, telling him that he was alive. He knew Scott would tell the others but needed to tell Evelyn himself. Besides the need to just see her to make sure she was OK, he hadn't spoken to her since she had run out of the loft. Derek stands up, turning to leave, when he hears a sound from behind him.

Evelyn bolts upright in bed, looking around, trying to figure out what had woken her up. As she looks to her left, her light blue eyes connect with a pair of mesmerizing green ones, her breath catching in her throat. He's here. He's alive, "Derek," Evelyn breathes still, not fully believing that the man she had believed to be dead only a few hours ago was really alive. He nodded his head slightly, and she leaped forward, pulling him into a tight hug. "You're OK," she whispered.

Derek wrapped his arms around Evelyn as she hugged him, pulling her close to him. He breathed in her familiar scent; even after six years, it was still the same. It reminded him of the woods, trees, and flowers. It calmed him and reassured Derek that she was safe. This was real, not another dream like the ones that had tortured him in the years after the fire. She was really here.

Evelyn abruptly pulled away, punching Derek in the chest. "Ow!" he said, holding his chest like it had actually hurt. "What was that for?"

 "For letting me believe you were dead the last two days," Evelyn said. It hit Derek. She had believed, like Cora, that he had died in the fire and had only just found out he was alive. In a matter of weeks, he had become alive, then dead, then alive again.

 "Hey," Derek said, pulling her close. "I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere." Evelyn nodded, leaning her head against his chest as the exhaustion from trying to keep Kali away from Derek coursed through her. Kali, she thought, fear filling her once again.

 "Kali," Evelyn whispered, knowing she didn't have to raise her voice for Derek to hear, "She's going to kill you, Ennis, he he died I I tried to save him but, but it wasn't enough." Evelyn stammered, shaking her head. "And now Kali is coming after you," she said.

 "It's not your fault," Derek said.

 "I should have," Evelyn started.

 "No," Derek interrupted gruffly, putting a finger under her chin and tilting it upward so she was forced to look at him. "There is nothing else that you could have done, and whatever happens now, it's not your fault," he said. Evelyn nodded slightly, still not believing him. "You still don't believe that it's not your fault, do you?" Derek asked, recognizing the guilt in her eyes. He was one of the few people who could read her. Even after almost seven years, he still knew when she blamed herself for things.

 "Nope," Evelyn said. She yawned quickly, covering her mouth to try and hide her exhaustion, but Derek had already noticed.

 "You're exhausted," he said.

 "I'm a little tired, but I'm fine," Evelyn said, standing up and walking over to the sink in the little nook across the small room. She stumbled over her feet, tripping her legs coming out from underneath her. Evelyn fell towards the floor. She startled slightly when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist, pulling her back onto her feet.