Author's Note: I've been dying to write for this ship, but I found myself incredibly rusty and writing ten scenes that had nothing to do with each other. Sigh. Without further ado… a scenario I came up with TND!Rachel and Chad, sans the Galactic Kids Next Door. I planned for this to be part of something bigger… but time is the enemy. Also, the KND episode with The Point is one of my favorites. It's mentioned heavily.
Summary: 274/362. There were three things Chad Dickson knew for sure. One, Valentine's Day was a capitalist scam. Two, Rachel McKenzie was the best spy the Kids Next Door (and the Teens Next Door) had. And three, he didn't want her going out with any of these Teen Ninja punks, valuable intel be damned.
"It's a bad idea. You're not going to The Point with him, McKenzie. That's final," the older teenager of the pair sternly said. Why couldn't she just follow his orders like she used to? Standing in her bedroom, Chad watched her brush her long blonde hair in front of her vanity.
"You've been saying that since Monday, and guess what? He'll be here in an hour."
The girl looked up at her commanding officer and rolled her eyes at him through her reflection. He went on undercover dates to gather intel from vapid teenage girls all the time. Why couldn't she do the same, with moronic teenage boys? Her Valentine's date for tonight could score some real good information for the Teens Next Door (and the Kids Next Door, but that goes without saying) if things went well. The boy whose attention Rachel captured rose up in Teen Ninja ranks rather quickly and was rumored to be Father's new apprentice as Cree left for college.
Despite Numbuh 274's outstanding leadership skills and good judgment calls that earned him another high-ranking position in their current organization, Numbuh 362 could not find herself to find common ground with him on this issue at all. In the past year, she started to entertain the idea of dating undercover in exchange for valuable information. Her Kids Next Door training in spywork could be utilized here, right? She was fifteen now; it was normal to go out with boys. With their contrasting leadership styles, Rachel spent so much time arguing with him on how to approach certain missions that she sometimes forgot she had this option. Chad usually brushed her off when she brought the topic to discussion, but now she actually had someone to go out with. Tension rose between the two earlier in the week when news broke out that she did.
Asserting herself, Rachel huffed. "You keep telling me I can't, but you dodge my question whenever I ask. Why exactly can't I go, sir?" The last word of her inquiry was laced with spite. She tried to relax as she finished getting ready, even with his hovering and irritating presence. She didn't need her commanding officer distracting her from the objective tonight.
On the contrary, there were three things that Chad Dickson knew for certain.
For one, Valentine's Day was a scam created by a capitalist society that thrived on selling sentimentality, flowers, and chocolate. This was why he avoided dating around February.
Two, Rachel McKenzie was the best spy the Kids Next Door had, and probably the best in the Teens Next Door to this day. She wouldn't be sitting here in front of him, not decommissioned, if she didn't impress the TND higher-ups. The girl could hold her own.
And three, he absolutely did not want her going out with any of these Teen Ninja punks, valuable intel be damned. The thought of Rachel spending time with some random in an intimate setting pissed him off. The idea didn't sit well with him, not one bit.
Clearing his throat, Chad began to speak again, justifying himself. "You haven't gone out with anyone before. You're also not exactly… knowledgeable in etiquette at The Point, either. You're gonna have a hard time getting information from him, even with your background in undercover work." He mentally slapped himself for that lame excuse he knew she wouldn't buy.
Rachel's eyes narrowed before giving a small sly grin. "Etiquette? At The Point? I'm not going to a tea party, Chad."
"Don't you know what happens at The Point?" His face exhibited a smirk, like he expected her to squirm with what he was about to insinuate.
"We go roller skating and share an order of cheese fries. I laugh at his jokes, I bat my eyelashes, we talk, and I get the information regarding his relations to Father. I don't think it's that hard. If you can do it, I can do it. Heck, Maurice has been doing it for years." Rachel straightened her back. She prayed in the days leading up to tonight that the teen magazines she bought with Fanny (bless her decommissioned, boy crazy soul) had some validity in their dating advice.
Chad's tone turned low, dark, and challenging as he stood behind her sitting form. He leaned down slightly putting his hands on her vanity, trapping her in between his arms. His blue eyes didn't leave her reflection. "Don't bite off more than you can chew, McKenzie. After the roller skating, when it's dark and the cars are lined up, it won't be as simple as batting your eyelashes…" His voice trailed, and he changed the subject. "Also, Maurice is the worst case scenario here. Poor guy has it so bad for Cree. What if you caught feelings for one of your fake boyfriends and compromised your performance in the TND? Then what?"
Attempting to ignore the close proximity between them, Rachel looked down at her mascara wand and knitted her eyebrows together. She knew of the implications a date at The Point held, but debated whether or not she would actually be good at that kind of activity. She also knew, as a teenage girl, the ease of falling victim to one's feelings. She'd spent the past few years disregarding the butterflies the boy in her room gave her, after all, butterflies that were threatening to spread their large wings in her stomach at this very moment. It took a few seconds to regain coherency.
"I'm a teenager, like you. I have been for two years. I should be going out and kissing boys. On Valentine's Day, no doubt. It's not something to be ashamed of," she paused to look at him through the mirror again. "You're my commanding officer. Shouldn't you be encouraging me to do my best on gathering as much intel as I can? Like the good old days, on Moonbase. Unless there's another reason, a real good reason on why I shouldn't go, I'm going."
Chad straightened his posture when he couldn't answer with a simple tease. Their situation on Moonbase was nothing like their current situation. They were older now and the teenage hormones got in the way of their once flawless problem solving team. Rachel expressed her desire to stay away from leadership roles that would lead her to stress eat broccoli, but a power struggle between the two former Supreme Leaders lingered.
He watched her gently apply the black goop on her eyelashes. It was something she recently picked up. A simple girl, Rachel opted for light mascara and some tinted lip balm. He thought she was beautiful with or without, but there was this change he couldn't deny anymore when she did add these two little steps in her routine.
Rachel McKenzie was no longer the eleven-year-old girl that would follow his orders without question. She was a teenager in all senses of the word, continually growing but still young at heart. She was an example of what Kids Next Door operatives should strive to be, instead of the traitor character he had set up for himself born from the fears of losing his identity and growing up. Her "honorable decommissioning" left a mark on those who looked up to her, as opposed to those who were disappointed and angry in his running away.
When she finished applying her lip balm, she turned around and stood when Chad acquired a better view of her person. His expression was intense, almost threatening.
"So commander, how does your former Global Tact––"
Rachel couldn't finish her question because at that moment, his lips were on hers. It took her a second to respond, only because she now felt her heart about to jump out of her chest. She tried to calm its racing, but it was pointless. With Chad's hands on her face, he pulled away and caressed her cheeks affectionately.
"Is that a good enough reason for you?" Those were the words he was able to muster, as his train of thought was derailed by her positive reaction. Her face was red and she was still out of it. All the younger blonde could do was nod and suppress a cheeky smile.
His arms were now around her waist and her own arms found their way behind his neck where he sported his flush. "Okay," Chad nodded as well. "I think that settles it. You're not going to The Point tonight. I'm not keen on sharing."
"What about the information we needed?"
He fought the urge to roll his eyes. Even after just giving her a kiss that altered their relationship, she was still thinking about work. He was going to have to keep kissing her silly to get her mind off Teens Next Door matters, at least for tonight. It was Valentine's Day after all.
"You were right. Maurice has been doing undercover for years. They can be best friends."