keeper (d. Hale)

try out.

"Braeden, I'm so glad you're here," Delilah smiled into the other women's shoulder. Braeden locked her arms tightly around Delilah's back. They clung tightly together, like two school yard friends reuniting under the jungle gym after an entire summer a part.

Peter cleared his throat and Delilah pulled away to hold her old friend at arms length. "I missed you, but I think you have a bit of explaining to do."

Delilah gave Braeden's shoulders a squeeze before dropped her arms and taking a step backwards. She naturally returned to Derek's side where he welcomed her with a small smile though he couldn't help the curious glances to the visitor. The woman looked familiar but he couldn't place where he had seen her before.

And she obviously wasn't a threat as Delilah greeted her so openly.

Braeden retook her seat next to the coffee table as she watched the couple flop back onto Peter's couch with exhausted breathes.

Delilah could have closed her eyes and quickly slipped into a deep sleep as Derek tuckered her snuggly into his side. He ensured she was comfortable with the blanket pulled off the couch arm and thrown across her legs before pulling her hand into his lap and settling with his thumb tracing her rings.

After being away from her for what he felt was an absolutely unfair amount of time, he wanted to keep any contact he could with his wife.

After a moment and another anxious sigh from Peter, the couple both turned their attention to Braeden who had resumed her earlier relaxed position, this time with an amused smile as she watched the affectionate couple.

Peter grumbled under his breath as he fought the urge to kick her feet off his table with a shove of his foot.

Braeden ignored the daggers thrown at her from the older man and instead focused on Delilah with slightly narrowed eyes. Delilah, even with her face buried partly into Derek's chest returned her stare, refusing to blink.

"Fine!" Braeden suddenly shouted as she threw her hands up in the air.

"Wait, what just happened?" Derek asked as he looked between the two women.

Delilah picked her head off his chest and smugly kissed the underside of his jaw. "I won, that's all."

"Won?" Derek smiled questioning at her. Despite everything that had just happened and the blood still splattered slightly on her neck, he couldn't help but give her a goofy grin. She looked absolutely adorable when she stared up at him like a cat who caught the canary.

"This one just..." Braeden grit her teeth before breaking out into her own smile and shaking out her head with a laugh.

"She wraps you around your finger, right?" Derek offered as he brought Delilah's hand up to his mouth to kiss her knuckles gently. The skin had already healed from where it had split earlier in the night after she forced her fists through the bone armour of this night's attacker.

"Exactly!" Braeden agreed with a nod and a sly look in Delilah's direction. "She always did, even when-"

"Can we please get back to the issue at hand?" Peter barked before his face reddened and he rubbed anxiously at the back of his neck. "Sorry, I just..."

"No, Peter, you talk to Braeden," Delilah reassured him softly. "Is anyone hungry for dinner? I know Derek is famished and I bet the twins could use a meal. Braeden you'll be staying right?"

"If you're cooking sweet cheeks then I'll be there," she winked.

"Great," Delilah clapped her hands together much to the amusement of Derek and Braeden.