Shuffled
Chapter 1: It All Started With A Song
It all started with a song.
Actually, it started a bit before that…we'll get to the song later.
"Dante, you can't go undercover again. Not after Sonny," Lulu Spencer said, shaking her blonde hair between her fingertips as she spoke. She'd been a nervous wreck since Dante had brought up the slightest possibility of him going undercover, but hadn't considered he'd actually go through with it until Dante started packing his bags.
"I'm an undercover cop, Lulu," Dante said, zipping his duffle bag and throwing it on the bed of his apartment.
"So are Ronnie and a hundred other cops. Why you?"
"I haven't run a new case since I worked for Sonny. Mac wants to see what I'm capable of in the field," Dante said, grabbing his gun and badge from the kitchen table.
Lulu sighed with a frown, taking a seat on the bed as she watched Dante pack. She picked at a lose thread on the sweater she was wearing—Dante's sweater—attempting to focus on anything but the thought of Dante getting into trouble. Something he was all too good at.
"What's the case?" she asked, trying to distract herself. Lulu didn't like the idea of Dante gone for a prolonged period of time, in constant danger. She didn't like the idea of being away from him for so long.
"Three young women have been declared dead. Cause of death is a drug called Prioxine, which hasn't been approved by the FDA yet. Their only connection is that all three women live in Manhattan. There's a rumor that a doctor at Bellevue Hospital is conducting unlicensed surgeries and stealing the drug from the hospital's storage, but there's no proof."
"Enter my boyfriend, the uncover cop."
Dante smiled and leaned forward, meeting Lulu's lips with his own as he pulled her into a warm embrace. His hand trailed down her neck as Dante's arms circled her hips, pulling Lulu closer. Dante deepened the kiss and Lulu parted her lips in response, gasping for a breath as they pulled apart.
"Dante," she whispered, watching as he walked towards the door, his bag over his shoulder.
"I've got to go, Lulu," he said, digging through his pockets as he pulled out a black box. A red ribbon was tied around it, creating a haphazard bow that was attached to a note. Dante sent Lulu a sad smile as he left the box on the counter, then left wordlessly as he shut the door.
"What?" Lulu muttered aloud, crossing the room and she grabbed the small box. Taking a seat on the coach she kicked of her heels and pulled away the ribbon, reading the card before proceeding to open the box.
"I didn't want to leave you alone, so I left something to distract you while I'm gone. I love you, Lulu. Hopefully this will remind you of that every day.
~Dante"
Lulu opened the small box to find a red iPod nano, find an engraving in a small white font above the Apple logo.
"Abcdefghijklmnopqrst vwxyz… Missing u."
Lulu laughed, inserting the headphones and starting the device. There were over 200 songs already saved on the device, and after clicking on "Playlists," found numerous mixes Dante must have created for her. The first was titled "My Departure [Day 1]," and Lulu took the hint and pushed played.
The iPod read, "The Sweater Song" by Hedley, and Lulu laughed at the irony, tracing a finger over the letters stamped across the chest.
She said baby don't leave
Be home stay close be close to me
Boy dont' be gone
He said baby you know
I gotta run i gotta go
I won't be long, girl i won't be long
She said boy don't you flirt
And baby please just don't get hurt
And if you feel alone then here take my shirt
He said forever girl i know you hate the weather girl
So maybe you should hold onto my sweater girl…
Lulu smiled sadly, allowing the music to continue playing and block out her pain. She knew it would be a long few months without Dante, but at least his music would keep her company. She could do this.
A/N: My writing usually isn't this unorganized, but this is my first Lante fanfic and I'm still getting used to voicing the characters, so bear with me. I promise to improve…with comments ;]