Author's Note: So, this little One-Shot is based on a true story despite it starring our favorite characters. When I witnessed this, I couldn't help but put Derek and Chloe in the place of the people this really happened to. This is what came out! Also, this is to keep you all sedated as I rewrite the ending to the latest chapter of Tram Wrecked as I don't like what I have now…
Enjoy!
Mission Impossible
"Hey, bro. What's up?"
"Simon, I need your help."
A moment of silence.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Derek Souza is asking for help."
I scowled into the receiver and I could hear Simon snickering on the other end. I was standing in the middle of aisle three at an insignificant drug store, at nearly midnight, just a block from me and Chloe's apartment. I glanced around self-consciously, phone to my ear, hoping- praying- that Simon knew more about what I was supposed to be doing here than I did.
"I'm messing with you. What do you need?"
I told him and waited for him to laugh, tell me that I didn't know enough about girls, and then point me in the right direction so I could get this particular errand over with.
There was a click as the line went dead.
"Damn it." I muttered, lowering my phone. That was basically a, 'Sorry, bro. You're on your own.'
I took a moment to compose myself. I was losing it. This really shouldn't be that hard. I closed my eyes, took a few deep breathes, counted to ten, then opened my eyes again.
It didn't help. At all.
"Why the hell did I let her talk me into doing this?" I growled, mentally chewing Chloe out as this was all her fault. If only she had planned this all out ahead of time like she normally does, then I wouldn't have to be here.
"Probably because you love her," I heard. Instantly, I stiffened. It was an old reflex that had never really died away. Chloe and I were on our own now, after being on the run together with my dad, my brother, my foster half-sister and Chloe's aunt for about four years and, though we hadn't run into or heard anything from the Cabals that were looking for us, that didn't mean that they wouldn't pop up out of nowhere and strike. They've done it before.
However, when I glanced towards the person addressing me, I found a girl that looked to be about the same age as Chloe. She was short like her too, no more than five feet tall with dark blue eyes and brown hair thrown up in a messy ponytail. She was wearing an Oregon State sweatshirt- which really wasn't surprising since Chloe and I were freshman at said university and we lived a few blocks from campus- and a pair of gray sweats. It was slightly uncanny how much she looked like Chloe in this moment. I'm sure that if Chloe was up on her feet and feeling herself today and if this girl had cleaned herself up a little, they'd look like two completely different people. However, considering the state Chloe was in and the aisle that this girl was currently standing in, I could understand why either of them would lack motivation with the idea of their physical appearance.
If I were anywhere else, I'd have ignored her. Simon would have smacked me upside the head and told me to play nice, smile and try to make new friends. I never cared about all that. She was just some girl and I was sure that I'd never see her again. She didn't matter.
But I was standing here and I could feel my cheeks and ears heating as she tossed me a knowing little smirk. At this point, all I wanted was to grab what I was here for and turn tail. However, glancing back at the shelf of products, I was reminded by how unbelievably complicated this decision was and I knew that Chloe wouldn't even let me back into the apartment unless I got exactly what she had sent me out to fetch for her.
"You have no idea what you're doing, do you?" The girl asked me. I debated on just blowing it all off. This was my last chance to either snag something, buy it and head back or give up the mission altogether.
I sighed and let my shoulders slump.
"No."
She laughed lightly, nodding her head, then turned to the shelf.
"Here, I'll help you out."
Considering I had been about ready to beg Simon for his help, I didn't argue with this girl whatsoever. Her eyes drifted over the plethora of products until she saw exactly what she was looking for, her blue orbs sparking in recognition. She reached for s little purple box and handed to me. I looked at it as if she were handing me a glass of some nefarious cleaning solution and was asking me to drink it.
"It's a box, not a trigger for an A-bomb. I promise the world isn't going to explode if you touch it." She laughed again. I grimaced and held out my hand and she passed it over to me. I was about to mutter a thank you, because it seemed as if the hardest part was over, but then I noticed the price.
"These are a bit expensive. What makes them any different than these ones?" I muttered, pointing at a smaller box that was a significantly lower price. The girl glanced over and shook her head.
"Trust me, she'll want these." She said tapping the box in my hand. When I gave her a questioning look, she gestured back to the shelf. "See all these cheaper ones. That's exactly what they are. Cheap. First of all, the applicators are made of cardboard, which is obviously uncomfortable. And secondly, they just don't work as well. Now, the ones you have there, those have plastic applicators, which makes it easier to-"
"I get it." I interrupted, shutting my eyes and trying to get the image out of my head, fighting off the shudder that was threatening to rip through my body. She laughed again, which only made me blush more.
"Hey, there's nothing to be ashamed of. You've ventured where few boyfriends have gone before." She said, tossing me a smile. "Brothers and sons who unconditionally love their sisters and mothers don't even look down this aisle. But if their girlfriend were to ask for this particular favor and he were to actually go through with it, it's a good indicator that he's already decided on spending the rest of his life with her. You have no idea how much she'll appreciate this, in more ways than one."
With that, she picked up her own box, murmured a quick 'good luck,' then made her way up to the cash register. I watched her leave as her words spun themselves through the gears in my brain. They registered somewhere deep within the recesses of my mind that I had never really ventured before.
Had I already decided to spend the rest of my life with Chloe? Of course. She was my mate. I'd figured that out years ago. But I had never really thought about it more than the fact that we were already together and that we'd stay that way. Instead, I should have thought about it from how Chloe might perceive it. To me, spending my life with her just meant that I'd be at her side, always, not really having in the say in the matter even if I didn't want to be. But to her, maybe it needed something more. Had she not planned for this current situation on purpose, testing me by sending me on this particular errand to see if I was really serious about us, committed? I doubted it. That wasn't really her style. But other than the fact that I've never strayed from her side for the past four years, how was she to know that I wanted to be with her till death do us part?
My thoughts were interrupted by my phone vibrating in my pocket. I blinked, coming back to the drug store. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my phone and noticed that it was Chloe calling me. I answered.
"Did you get them?" She asked, her tone holding a slight sound of anxiety.
I rumbled an affirmative and heard the sigh of relief on the other end. Then I asked, "You're supposed to have a study session with Natalie tomorrow for your business class, right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Just double checking," I said, lips twitching with the sudden open schedule for the following day. As I assured her that I'd be home within the next ten minutes and made my way up to the register, I prayed that a local jeweler would be open on a Sunday.
Alright, bonus points to anyone who can guess what 'Mission Impossible' was, who the girl was and what Derek is going to do while Chloe is studying with her friend the next day! Hope you guys enjoyed, let me know what you thought!
