Disclaimer: I do not own Codename Kids Next Door.

"She likes grapefruit," Lizzie murmured, unsure as she picked up a package of flavor topping. She attentively scanned over the small box, before lifting it towards her companion for conformation. "…right?"

After taking several seconds to respond, Virginia tore her gaze away from the gummy worms and blinked. "Uh, wouldn't you be the one to know that?"

Lizzie scoffed. "Oh. So just because she's with my ex means I instantly know everything about her?"

"Isn't that how it works?"

"…Yeah Gin. We traded notes and everything." Lizzie unsparingly threw the box in the cart and continued down the aisle. Grocery shopping was such a pain. Which was why she had dragged Virginia along. Suffering alone wasn't her thing. She stopped, her eyes flicking to her list, which was followed up with her hand snapping up and grabbing the desired mixing.

Virginia watched the redhead grab another item off the shelf and her eyes never left the small box as it fell into the cart. She became weary of the mixing. "Hey, I thought she liked cheesecake or something?"

"What? She's addicted to carrot cake." Lizzie looked at her brunette friend as if she were crazy or something similar. "Where on Earth did you get cheesecake from?"

"Whatever man," Virginia shrugged as she went back to scanning the shelves. She was pretty sure Rosanna –no that was wrong, blondie's name was totally Roxanne– was crazy for cheesecake, but trying to convince Lizzie she was wrong was like trying to describe colors to a man who had been blind all his life; you just couldn't do it. Seriously. "Just, like, make sure you get everything so I can fully utilize my mad baking skills. Cause you can't make cake without cake…stuff. I've tried. Seriously."

"That won't be necessary," Lizzie replied with an air of authority, "I can make the cake by myself."

"Dude!" Virginia gasped, looking genuinely appalled. "We don't wanna poison everybody!" She then ducked as a bag of potato chips sailed over her head. The woman leapt back up and shrugged off the shock as she frowned at Lizzie. "What'd I say?" When the other girl went about ignoring her, Virginia decided to turn around and clean up any mess Lizzie had created in her anger. Because whenever you tagged along with her, you automatically became damage control–

BAP!

"GAH!"

"WHOA!"

The brunette stumbled over and collapsed onto the tiled floor. Once down, her hand sprang to her sore forehead in an attempt to ease the pain from whatever she had just walked into. She put pressure on the area, and winced when she felt a slight bump forming. "Man, total bummer."

"Oh geez!" she heard a voice frantically spout out before she felt a pair of hands trying to help ease her back into a standing position. "Uh, sorry about that, lady."

Virginia politely waved off his apology. "It's cool. That happens all the time. Two left feet you…" she trailed off as she finally looked up to the guy who she had knocked into and who had helped her back up. He wore the light grey uniform of the store; complete with the vest, name-tag and everything. His sandy hair went all over the place, and his slightly nerved wracked expression made his freckles seem all the more adorable. Soon, she was just staring. "…know?"

"Uh, yeah," the employee replied in a similar fashion. He scratched at his neck as the woman –a rather attractive woman mind you– stared at him almost hypnotized. He wasn't offended, far from it actually. It wasn't every day that a slender brunette beauty walked into the store, gave him the time of day, and not chewed him out for bumping into her. After a few more seconds of silent staring, he met her ocean blue eyes and blushed a bit. "So, um, hi?"

"Huh?" Virginia blinked then realized she was boring into him. She averted her gaze, and coughed in her hand to conceal her faint rosy cheeks. "Heh yeah. Totally." Her fingers fiddled with one of the buttons on her denim jacket and she peaked a glance at his name-tag. Bartie, huh? Sounded familiar.

Further down the aisle, Lizzie continued on her shopping spree unknowingly (or uncaringly) leaving Virginia to her own muses while she went about her business. Halting in her tracks, she adjusted her glasses as she scanned over the list. The recipe called for sugar. Well, duh. She quickly spared a quick glance to the shelf, then looked back to the list once her hand had already started on a course for the bag. But she was then surprised when her hand collided with a whole bunch of nothing.

"Huh?" She looked up, shocked to see the last sugar bag had just disappeared. As she was wondering what happened to it, she saw him.

Right beside her, holding her sugar, an auburn haired man was mumbling some foreign dialect into a cell-phone. She couldn't hear some of it, and she couldn't even fathom what she did hear of it. He then ended the call, snapping the device shut and stuffing it in his pocket. Jaw clenching, Lizzie began to fume as she waited for him to notice her. She waited, and waited. And waited.

Was he walking away?

"Hey! You!" she called out: furious, "With the leather jacket!"

He lazily turned around, showing his smooth features and sunglasses. He noticed her, and notched an eyebrow, a tad curious.

Lizzie didn't even try to resist her coming eye-roll when she saw his shades. Shoving that particular thought aside, she continued. "I was going to buy that sugar!"

"Yeah, but you didn't," he spoke with an accent coated with Spanish. She could tell he gave her a quick once-over, which made his small smirk all the more irritating. "Better not be so slow next time, eh?"

An animalistic growling vibrated throughout the whole store. This was not how it was supposed to go down! She was supposed to show up at that baby shower tomorrow and dazzle (rub it in their faces. She could SO cook!) with a carrot cake. But El Leather Jacket here was screwing up the natural order.

"That sugar is MINE!" Lizzie proclaimed. "My eyes were on that bag ever since I got down the aisle. That marks it as mine, amigo! It's like…a rule!"

Eyebrow quirk. "Really?"

"Really! Gin, back me up," she nodded cockily. Silence settled in, and no 'backing up' could be heard. "Virginia! What are you…" She snapped around, and froze at the image. Was Virginia smacking lips with that store boy? "The hell?" She turned, trying to save face.

But El Leather Jacket was nearly halfway down the aisle.

Not letting him escape, the red head rushed up to him and snagged him by the arm with insistence. Lizzie continued, "I don't think you understand. You have to give it back to me!"

She could feel his eyes behind those shades again. For some reason, she felt the urge to blush as he smirked again. Was he checking her out? That little –

"Listen chica,"

"Hey–"

Lifting a finger to her lips, he silenced her. "Let me walk you home and you'll have it for free."

She dumbly nodded. Wait, why was she giving in so easily? She was going to chew his ass –

"It's a date then."

A what?

"The name's Arnaldo."

She soon came to calling him 'Ace'. Goddammit, what is it with her and guys with sunglasses?

Something short.

Betaed by RaidersEcho