keeper (d. Hale)

my invite is in the trees.

Author's Note: spicy, spicy, spicy content.

Issac didn't want to talk when he came inside, neither did Scott. Both boys looked at a loss for words.

Delilah didn't want to push them but when Issac saw her seated in the kitchen with Derek, he couldn't contain the bone crushing embrace he pulled them into. It was natural and the smallest form of relief he could have as Delilah kissed his forehead gently and Derek rubbed lightly at his back. It wasn't until Issac had buried his head in Delilah's neck to ensure she was really there with them, that he let go to tiredly climb the stares to his room.

Loss was a fickle thing.

With soft sound of Issac's door closing shut, it was determined that everyone else would be staying for the night, which was fine by Delilah who preferred them all close. They had the room, so it wasn't entirely a big deal or at least she didn't think so. Derek had to convince in an almost pleading tone for Delilah to stop fusing and get to bed.

It was a long night for everyone.

Derek kept himself wrapped tightly around her while they dosed. His arm placed across her chest as it held her shoulder beneath the pillow. Every time they breathed they would do so together. His chest rising and falling in time with her own.  

In the end it was a light sleep, as both of them were keeping an ear out for any change in the house that might threaten to pull them from the safety of the other's arms. 

That was why Delilah was confused when she woke up alone and without the tight grip of Derek's hand on her hip or thigh to make sure they stayed together through the night. She hissed lightly when her extended limbs slid over the cold side of Derek's bed as she stretched out.

The sheets were rumbled as she turned over to pull them over her head to block out the offending morning light and disappointment of waking up alone.

She rolled from her back to her stomach with a pout. She needed to get up and deal with the world, even if that meant leaving her warm cocoon. Carefully she flipped the blankets back down to uncover her face. She rubbed at her sleep filled eyes before checking the time.

1:34 pm

Delilah groaned. She had slept the entire morning away and it made her feel horrible. A slight buzzing sounded at the back of her head, similar to that one she would get if she clenched her jaw too tightly out of annoyance. 

She didn't like that feeling one bit, not when there was so much that needed to be sorted, at least before nightfall. Before the moment the Nogistune could call upon the Oni to continue on his war path of pain and destruction. If left unchecked she had no doubt he would take his time with the pack. Picking and choosing members to remove one by one. Each one more painful than the last. 

Delilah threw off the rest of blankets tucked in around her, determined to help with the slew of chaos she knew to be brewing downstairs. The blankets landed at the end of the bed in a heap and she heard an out of place crinkling against the soft material.

She frowned and started to dig through the blankets before locating a white folded piece of paper. Her name was written across the front in Derek's scratchy handwriting. The ink was slightly smeared from his hand and she could imagine him carefully forming each letter of her name.