So, okay. I have a perfectly legitimate excuse for not uploading in a while…
I broke my leg.
Yep, that's my excuse. I fractured my fibula. (Say that 10 times fast.)
So, I'm SOOO sure that you're interested to hear about it. Not really, but I'm going to tell the story anyways.
It's Saturday, April 27 at 10:40 A.M. It's also the day of the South State Track Meet that I get to finally participate in. I'd been training and running for atleast 2 months before this day. (And yes. I do run track. I run the 2 mile and the 1 mile.) I really really wanted this chance to go to the State Track Meet and maybe even win something. I had won 2nd in my District Track Meet (out of 11 people) so I thought I actually had a chance.
Anyways, so it's 10:40. My first race, the 2 mile, which is 8 laps around a track, starts in 20 minutes. Man, I'm pumped. I'm ready to race and all that jazz. If I get 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th, I get to participate in the State Track Meet.
Skip ahead 20 minutes and I'm on the starting line. There are also about 9 others on the starting line. I've been against more so I think I actually might have a chance. Anyways, the guy shoots the gun and we all start running.
There's one freakishly fast Senior who's like way ahead of us. The rest are bunched in a group.
So, I'm in 2nd place for about 2 and a half laps and feeling good about myself. My breathing is fine and I haven't started getting tired yet. I actually think I'm going to place.
I'm almost done with my 3rd lap when my right leg starts hurting. I just thought it was a cramp. During practice, my coach would tell us that if we had a cramp to stop and stretch it out, but I seriously doubted that he'd be happy with me if I stopped in the middle of my race to touch my toes or whatever. So naturally, I keep running.
Around the 5th lap, my leg is starting to really hurt. Like, badly. As I pass my parents and friend on the sideline, they shout for me to "Pick up the pace" and to "Run faster." So I try to, but my leg thinks otherwise. As soon as I sped up, the pain in my leg increased. And I'm falling behind. I'm in 4th place with a girl gaining on me. So, like the stubborn person I am, I ignore the pain and keep running.
As I run my 6th and 7th lap, I slow down a lot. I'm still running but not as fast as before. Oh, and I'm in 7th place. Which sucked. I'm literally limping at a fast pace now, instead of running. My parents are confused as to why I'm running super slow and telling me that "There's only one lap left so run." I mouth to them simply that "It hurts." They look at me confused, but I run (Limp at a fast pace) past them.
It's the 8th lap. I can barely even put weight on my foot because it hurts so bad now. The pain is unbearable. I'm almost in tears. I seriously only thought that it was a really bad cramp. But once again, I'm super stubborn, so I keep running because I want to finish my last lap. I refuse to quit, though. I just think to myself, 'I'm not going to stop. Stopping is for quitters. I'm not quitting. Quitting is not an option.' So I keep running. To make matters worse, I'm in next to last place.
It's the last stretch of the 8th lap. I'm literally 100 meters away from the finish line. Everyone else has finished except me and one girl straight behind me. So it's either: be a baby and come in dead last place, which is my worst nightmare, or suck it up and sprint.
So I suck it up and sprint. Which was a really bad idea, by the way. So I sprinted my finish as next to last place. And I didn't even come in last. (Turns out some girl had an asthma attack during the race and quit, but she was okay.)
So I feel awful. Physically and emotionally. I'm disappointed that I don't get to go to State. Physically because my right leg hurts super bad. More pain than I've ever felt. I literally limp off the track.
My coach comes up to me. Like the nice man that he is (sarcasm), he simply looks down at me and is like, "You were 56 seconds later than your last time." I'm surprised by that. I thought it would be 3 minutes later.
I then nod and turn away to limp off towards my family when he (actually) notices and is like, "What's wrong with you?"
I just point to my leg and I'm like, "Cramp or something." He then tells me to go stretch it out before my next race.
I limp to my family and they're asking what happened so I tell them it's a cramp. I try to walk up the hill but can't, so my dad has to carry me.
Flash forward an hour, and I'm on the ground, yelping in pain. My best friend, being the gentle and merciful person that she is, (not) is sitting on my back, holding me down, and telling me to quiet down as she tries to roll out my cramp with some athlete stick thing that rolls out cramps. Boy, does it hurt. And she's not holding back.
"If you want to run another race this afternoon, you're going to have to let me roll out this cramp!" she repeatedly yells over my screams.
"Amber, gosh dang it! That hurts! Stooooppppp!" That's me, begging for mercy.
So by the time she has to run her race, tears have come to my eyes and I'm still hurting. I keep trying to walk on it, but I can't because it hurts.
When it comes time for my next race, my coach checks on me to see that my leg is swollen and not feeling the slightest bit better, so he tells me not to run it.
When it's time to leave, my friend has to basically carry me out to her car. (Because we were spending the night with my other friend for her birthday.)
Skip an embarrassing ride in a shopping cart in Wal-Mart and a sleepover.
It's Sunday and I'm back at home. My mother tells me to walk on my foot but I can't so she takes me to the doctor.
I find out that I have a stress fracture just from running and I may have come down on my leg too hard. So yeah… I ran with a broken leg and didn't even come in last place. So, I fractured my fibula. I got a boot and crutches. Yaaaay. - _ - The crutches may seem like fun, but they're not. They're aggravating and I hate them.
So I go to school the next day and everyone's asking what happened and stuff so I tell them. The best part though was when I heard my coach talking about me. My teacher asked me what happened and I told her. My coach happened to be walking by and heard that she said, "Wow. That's amazing."
He then turned to her and said, "No, that's dedication." Then walked off. And honestly? It made my day. Because he totally hates our class. Absolutely despises us. Especially me and my (earlier said) friend. And then he says I have dedication? *Does happy dance*
Anyways, we had athletic awards day and I got the Academic Award (person on team who has highest grades) and 2 Saint Awards, which means I'm the 'good attitude' one on the team. As I told my friend, I'm the extra peppy nerd.
I also had to spend my birthday weekend with a broken leg on the beach. Let's just say crutches plus sand, doesn't work out. Speaking of birthdays…
TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I may have a broken leg, but I'm not going to let that stop me from having an awesome birthday!
Anyways, enough about my personal life. You came here for a story right? Well here ya go! Hope you enjoy it!
Will you make this the best birthday ever and review? Please?
Here we gooooooooooooo!
*1 year later*
Mal had just come home for the weekend from his first semester of college. We both were sitting on the long bench in my backyard. Well, Mal was sitting up. I was lying down with my head in his lap while we lazily fed each other strawberries.
"How was school today?" he asked as he lowered the strawberry to my mouth. I quickly took a bite of it before he could jerk it away.
"Same old, same old. It's boring without you there, though," I pouted up at him.
He chuckled, "Kiss-up."
"Always," I grinned at him. He rolled his eyes and stroked my hair with his nonsticky hand. I leaned up a little, grabbed one from the box, and lay back down. I rose up my arm and held it out for him to eat. As soon as he was about to take a bite, I jerked it out of his reach and ate it instead. I giggled as he frowned down at me.
"Well, that was rude."
I shrugged innocently. "I got hungry…"
He sighed, smiling and began to slowly feed me strawberries. With his other hand, he resumed stroking my hair, lovingly, a relaxed expression on his face.
"Hey Mal?" I asked, looking up at the clouds.
"Hmmm?" he asked, sounding as if he was in a daze.
"Have you ever thought about the future?" I asked, eyes diverting to his face.
He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Like… Marriage." I looked away, suddenly embarrassed.
He raised an eyebrow at me. "Well, yeah. What about it?"
"Do you think… Do you think that we will get married?" I asked, curiously, trying to hold in my embarrassed blush.
He smiled down at me, genuinely. "Of course. There's no one else that I'd rather be with."
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, crazily.
"What if one of us has to move or something?" I asked, worriedly, sitting up and facing him.
He gently cupped my face in his hands and stared intently into my eyes, saying seriously, "We'll find each other again. I believe that we are meant to be together… Forever and ever."
"I dunno if I'd say it like that. I would say there are things that are just…" Mal looks up at the sky, searching for the right words. He then switches his gaze to me, grinning.
"…Meant to be," he finishes.
I cock my eyebrow at him. Did Mal Fallon just say that?
He frowns at my stunned expression. "…What? …Too cheesy? …That was cheesy, huh?"
I sighed in relief and flopped my head back down in his lap, satisfied with his answer.
After a few seconds of silence, I mentioned again, "Hey Mal?"
"Hmmmm?" he repeated again.
"When are we going to have our first kiss?"
That seemed to catch him off guard. He stared at me curiously for a second, shock and confusion written all over his face.
I stared back up at him to let him know that I was serious. We had been dating for over two years now and I still haven't gotten my first kiss…I mean, I can't wait forever!
"I…Uh. I dunno. Whenever the time is right, I guess." He shrugged.
"I'm 17. Almost all of the other girls in my grade have had their first kiss…. All except for me."
"Well, I don't want to rush it for you. You can't force a perfect moment to kiss…." He trailed off, unsure of where he was going with this.
I looked up and stared at him curiously.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I…. Well…. I want it to be perfect. I want it to be romantic. I want it to be the best moment of our lives."
"You want the truth, Gil? Fine. I'm a Detective with the SFPD, and that's my partner, FBI Agent Natara Williams." He pauses for a second.
What is he doing?!
"Now, I wasn't going to say anything for professional reasons, but honestly? I love her, Gil. I really, really love her." He says, a genuine serious look on his face.
My eyes widen considerably, feeling as if they were about to pop out of my skull. My breath quickens as butterflies seem to explode in my stomach.
He….He loves what, now?
"This is… Another trick… A ruse," Gil says, angrily.
"You want me to prove it?" He asks. "Her birthday's October 24th. Her dad's name is Raj. She likes horses and hates cats. Look in her eyes, Gil. I'm not lying."
Gil turns to look at me, to see if Mal was lying. I nod my head in confirmation at him and look at Mal with shining eyes. I stare at him, trying to get him to look at me so I can look into his eyes to see if he is lying about actually… Loving me.
"Tell me, then, Detective… What is her greatest fear?" Gil asks.
"That's easy, Gil. It's herself," he explains without hesitation.
I see Gil scoff, disbelievingly. "Oh, come on…"
"No, I mean it. In her darkest, loneliest hours, she worries that she's the kind of person that can't be loved… The kind of person that can't love back," he explains sincerely.
My eyes are huge, I can tell, as I stare at Mal, wondering how on Earth he knows so much about me and how he knew that particular fact. I had never told anyone that. Ever. So… How did he know?
"She's been hurt, see… Hurt bad by someone she cared about… And she's afraid that she'll never be able to really trust another person again." He glances at me, not needing to say a thing. His eyes say it all. 'I still love you. I always have. I would never hurt you, like those jerks have. I truly, sincerely, and deeply love you. Even after all of these years. You can trust me…'
But it must be a trick of my eyes. I mean, sure, we went out while we were younger. But there is no way that he still has those feelings about me.
Mal's eyes look at me for a second longer before sliding back over to Gil.
"She's the bravest woman I've ever met, Gil. She's stared down serial killers and fought brutal criminals…" He trails off, gaining confidence.
"But the one thing she's afraid of is that she might be too damaged to ever really be happy." His words hit me. Hard. I actually stop breathing for a second. He knew… Everything. Things that I hadn't even dreamed of telling anyone. They were buried deep within me, although somehow, he dug them back up. Secretly, I was insecure about this whole love thing. No one saw through it though… No one except him. For the first time in a long time, I feel ashamed. I bend my head down as the words strike me, knowing that every single word that he said was true.
Gil looks back to see my head bent down in shame. His face saddens. "It's true, isn't it? He's telling the truth!"
Mal glances at me worriedly. 'I loved you once. I'll love you again. I never actually stopped loving you. I can make you happy again…' I think I read in his eyes.
Mal takes a tiny step closer to Gil, eyeing him warily.
Suddenly, Gil's face switches to a determined look.
"Have you told her you love her?" he asks.
Mal's face saddens, looking guilty. "…No."
"Why not?"
"Because…" Mal pauses, looking for the right words.
"The time wasn't right."
Gil looks at him in confusion, willing him to explain.
"I wanted it to be perfect. I wanted it to be romantic. I wanted it to be the best moment of our lives." He looks at me, meaningfully, trying to get me to remember our conversation from so many years ago. Of course, my brain flashes back to that long bench in my backyard, feeding each other strawberries and talking about marriage. I feel a sudden fluttering in my chest and my breathing falls short. Does he mean it? Does he actually still love me?
"But you've kind of tipped my hand here, haven't you, Gil?" Mal asks.
"I… I couldn't have known…" he says, looking sad and worried.
"Of course you couldn't. A guy like you, so obsessed with love… What would you care about messing it up for other people?"
"It's not like that!" Gil exclaims, defensively.
"Of course it is, Gil! You want true love? Here it is! And you're ready to blow it up just because your boss is a creep!"
Gil looks angry and worried at the same time. Sweat falls down his cheeks and his nostrils flare. He starts to tremble, ready to challenge Mal.
"Last question, Detective…" he says, looking desperate. His eyes meet mine as he says, "Does she love you?"
My eyes instantly lock on Mal's face, trying to get him to look at me, but his eyes are glued with Gils'.
I'm about to nod my head vigorously, ready to spill all of my feelings out, when Mal takes a deep breath.
"It doesn't matter." He states.
We all look at him in a 'What?!' manner.
"Maybe she loves me. Maybe she doesn't. And if you push that button, I'll probably never know. But you know what? I don't care. This last year, working with her? It's been the best damn year of my life. And all the C4 in the world can't take that away." He says, seriously, slightly smiling.
I hear a sniffle from above me. I look up and to see Gil's eyes watering and sniffling loudly.
"That's… That's beautiful," Gil states, wiping his eyes. I agree, Gil. I agree.
Mal takes a final step towards Gil. He is now standing right above me. He bends down and reaches out to gently stroke my cheek.
His eyes meet mine as he softly murmurs, "I love her. I always have." If I didn't have a gag on my mouth and we weren't trying to take down this psycho, I would reach up and kiss this man right now. His eyes show that I should do my 'cop thing' now, while Gil was completely vulnerable, but they also held some sort of truth in them. That he actually did love me and always had.
I look up at him and wink.
After taking down Gil, I stand up and straighten my suit, as soon as Mal unties me.
"Cut that a little close, didn't you?" I ask.
"Oh, I had it handled, believe me," he smirks, cockily.
"I'm sure you did. That was quite the little performance…" I reply, smiling.
"Right… All that stuff I said…" he trails off.
My face saddens. "You mean, what you said to get Gil's guard down… Your ruse," I make up, hoping he'll deny it.
"Yeah. Exactly. My ruse," he responds, frowning.
"Well… It was very convincing," I say, disappointed.
"Maybe I picked the wrong career. Should have been an actor." He starts to turn away.
I build up my courage, ready to tell him my true feelings. That I knew it wasn't a ruse and he meant every single word.
"Mal, wait… You should know I… I…"
"LOOK OUT!"
I smiled, pleased with his answer.
"Fine. Fine. We'll wait," I said, rolling my eyes but grinning anyways.
He softly chuckled at my response.
"But we will kiss someday… Right?" I asked hopefully, biting my lip.
"Of course. I mean, you can't not do a dare," he said, smirking. I instantly thought back to when we were younger and Jackson dared Mal to kiss me.
I grinned back. "That's true. It's against the Kid's Rulebook."
"And we have to do the dare if we get dared to do it… It's like a promise that you can't break." He leaned in close to my ear and whispered, "It's forbidden to break it. And you have to do it at some point."
I giggled at him, swatting his shoulder.
"You're so weird."
He grinned lovingly back. "I know."
I leaned my head back into his lap. After a couple of minutes of silence, I asked again, "Mal?"
"Yeah?"
"…Are you in love with anyone?"
"Are you asking me if I'm in love right now?"
(A/N So, I changed this one up a little bit. Don't hate.)
"Oh, come on. Love does not make you act like a crazy person," I scoff, smiling, and look at Mal, who is sitting beside me shoulder-to-shoulder on the precinct steps.
"Says who? I've gone a little bit psycho for love in my day," he shrugs.
"Well, what about now?" I ask without thinking.
"…Now? Are you asking if I'm in love right now? Or if I'm psycho?" he asks, frowning.
"Both? I mean, neither. Not seriously at least, I was just…" I stammer embarrassingly. Why did I just do that?! I can tell that he feels bad because I am embarrassed and doesn't want to embarrass me further, so he decides to answer my question.
"Well, I'm not crazy. At least I don't think I am. You're the psychology expert…" he trails off, coughing awkwardly. "As for love, I… Can't say that I'm in love… But, uh… I'm not saying I'm not open to it, it's just…" he pauses, trying to think of something to say. "This is a weird question."
Why, oh, why did I just ask that?! What is wrong with me! I'm so embarrassed! I try to hide my flaming face with my hair, hoping he doesn't see me.
He coughs and quickly changes the subject. "But enough about that. Let's talk about something more interesting. Like you," he grins, playful side coming back.
"Me?"
"Yeah. Let's hear about Agent Williams' first brush with young love," he grins and looks at me expectantly. I sigh and decide to spill my story about Greg and the stupid card.
"…Well, Greg's an idiot. He'd be kicking himself today," Mal responds, eyebrows furrowing, after I was done with my story.
I grin and look deeply into his sea blue eyes. "Thank you for saying so… And in any case, what matters is I've found real love."
I could've sworn his eyes saddened when I say that. "…Speaking of Oscar, how are things with the wedding going?"
Oscar? Wait…What? Oh…Right. Oscar. Fiancée. Wedding. Husband. …Right.
My face saddens. "Oh. Good, it's just… I always thought that planning my wedding would be something really exciting for me. But lately I feel like Oscar is more into this wedding than I am…" I trail off.
Mal's face saddens with mine. "My usual cutting wit aside, it seems to me that this should be a mutual thing."
Mutual. He's absolutely right.
"Yeah," I said, looking up at him.
"Well, obviously," he rolled his eyes and leaned down to nuzzle noses with me. I giggled at him as he pulled away, smiling.
"You're so sweet," I grinned.
"Not as sweet as you."
Suddenly, my father stepped out of the house and on the back porch. He walked to where Mal and I were sitting/laying, raising an eyebrow.
"Hey Daddy!" I exclaimed.
"Hello sweetheart," he grinned at me. "May I speak to Mr. Fallon for a second?"
"Sure," we both echoed, waiting expectantly.
"Alone?" he asked, nodding towards the house.
I looked up at Mal, to see his eyes widen. I sat up and motioned for him to go.
"Go ahead, Mal. I'll wait here."
"Sure…" he said, slowly returning my gaze.
"He's not going to kill you…" I whispered, knowing what he was thinking.
"You don't know that…" he whispered back, getting off the bench.
Mal slowly trudged after my father, walking towards the house. Just before he got inside, he turned around and mouthed to me, "If I don't come back in ten minutes, call the cops."
I laughed and mouthed back, "Have fun!"
He sighed, shook his head, and followed my father inside. I stayed outside, looking up at the sky, and wondering what they were talking about in there.
(A/N Third-person P.O.V.)
Mal walked inside right behind Raj, silently chanting in his head, "He's going to kill me. He's going to kill me. That's it. Goodbye cruel world. My time here is finished. This is it. My girlfriend's father is about to take out a pistol and just shoot me right in the heart. Let's just get it over with." He stopped walking just as Raj did. Raj slowly turned around, towards Mal, a determined look on his face.
"You've been dating my daughter for… What… A year now?" Raj asked, eyebrows raised.
"Year and four months," Mal corrected then winced, hoping Raj wouldn't suddenly pull a gun out on him for correcting him.
"A year and four months, and during this period of time, I've noticed that she's… happier than she usually is. She laughs and smiles more," he took a deep breath. "I want to thank you for being good to my little girl. Thank you for watching over her…" Mal breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'll watch her back, sir. Always," Mal promised, a look of sincerity in his eyes.
"Good, I'm glad for that. One more question before I let you go, though."
"Alright."
"...Do you love my daughter?"
"Yes, sir, absolutely," Mal nodded vigorously.
Raj narrowed his eyes. "Are you lying to me because I'm her father?"
"Heh, I wouldn't lie to you, Mr. Mansingh. Your daughter means the world to me."
Raj seemed positive with this answer, so he nodded and responded with, "Okay. You can go now. Keep an eye out for her, though."
Mal smiled back. "Always…"
"May I ask you a question, Detective?" Raj asks Mal as they wait for the professional assassins to appear.
"Don't see how I could stop you," Mal shrugs, taking a sip of his glass of scotch.
"You've been partners with my daughter for… What… A year now?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Year and four months," Mal corrects quickly without missing a beat.
"When we last met, you spoke glowingly of her. Was that for her benefit… Or did you truly mean it? Do you think she's fit for this work?"
"Heh, I wouldn't lie to you, Mr. Mansingh. Even if I thought I could get away with it," he grinned. "Your daughter's the very best I've ever worked with. She's dedicated and hard-working and so damn good, I never stop being surprised. I know you don't approve of her choices… But I know if you could see her out in the field, you'd be proud," Mal finishes.
"Mmm." Raj mumbles, his thinking expression on his face.
"Is she…." He starts, trying to get the words out. "Is she happy?" he asks, looking concerned.
Mal smiles and reaches over, clinking his glass against Rajs'.
"Yes. Yes, she is."
"Then I suppose that's all a father can ask for. That, and her safety," Raj shrugs.
"I'll watch her back, Mr. Mansingh. Always," Mal promises, giving him a little nod.
"…And I'm grateful for that." He took a deep breath.
After taking out all of the assassins, Mal is just about to leave when Raj calls out, "Detective!"
"What is it?" Mal asks, turning around.
"You are a good man…" Raj grins, "And the right man for my daughter."
Mal looks taken aback. "You mean… As a partner right?"
Raj just sits down, pours himself a drink, and smiles, not even saying a word.
Just as he turned around to go back outside, Raj called out, "Wait, Mr. Fallon!"
"Yes sir?"
"You're not going to get my daughter…pregnant…Are you?" Raj asked, narrowing his eyes.
Mal's eyes widened considerably at his question. He was so shocked, he began to stutter, "N…No sir. Not a…at all, sir! I, uh… Absolutely not….Sir. Natara and I… We don't have a… um… Sexual relationship. I swear, we….Uh, we haven't done anything!" He held his hands up in the air as if to prove his innocence.
"And all the while you've been working in close proximity to the dashing Detective Fallon on cases including a 'couples retreat' and… An undercover job as husband and wife? Well, isn't that something?" Lieutenant Anders asks Natara, grinning knowingly.
Natara's face immediately turns from neutral to angry. How dare he make accusations like that! Who does this guy think he is?!
"Are you insuiting some sort of inappropriate behavior between Detective Fallon and myself?" she asks through gritted teeth.
"Good, because then I'd have to kill you," Raj explained, laughing.
"Heh, heh… Yes sir," Mal laughed awkwardly, feeling both embarrassed and terrified.
"Now that we've got that over with, you can go along and have fun, son," Raj winked at Mal, before turning around and heading to his office.
"Uh, thanks?" Mal questioned, before repeating Raj's actions and going back outside.
(A/N Back to Natara's P.O.V.)
I sat on the bench, daydreaming about camping, of all things, while waiting for Mal to reappear. I wondered when my family was going to go on another one of our weekend camping trips. I grinned at the thought of Mal trying to hike up a mountain or pitch a tent. He was seriously clueless about the outdoors. That's what you get for being raised as a city boy, I guess.
After several hours of walking, Mal and I are deep in the woods, looking for the mysterious murderer who killed Leonardo and Walter. I look behind me to see Mal breathing heavily, face slick with sweat and his clothes uncomfortably clinging to his body, slightly showing his ripped muscles underneath.
I giggle at his tired expression and tease, "Not much of a hiker?"
"No. Why would I waste a good Saturday afternoon staring at a bunch of dumb trees?" he grumbles.
"Oh, you're a total grouch. I love hiking. The smell of fresh air… The sights of nature… The wide sky overhead…" I trail off, breathing deeply.
"The buzz of the mosquitoes, eating you alive…" Mal interrupts my thoughts, grumpily.
I giggled as I imagined what it would be like if Mal and I actually went camping.
"You don't understand. I'm not talking about the case," I say with a sudden realization.
"What?" he asks confused.
"The sun is setting in three hours, Mal. We just lost our GPS and our provisions. And the weather is… Temperamental at best."
"Oh come on, don't tell me we're lost! We can't be lost!" He complains.
I shrug and give him a sympathetic smile.
"Can't you get us home using the sun or following the river or, I don't know, touching some moss?" he blurts out suggestions, hopefully.
"The sun and the river can give me a general sense of direction, but we were walking for at least an hour before we got to the river. We're totally off the trail. If we followed the river, we'd find civilization, but it might not be for five or six hours… And we've got three before dark," I explain to him.
"So we walk in the dark," he suggests one more idea before totally giving up.
"No. It's too dangerous, especially if we're using a fast-moving river as our guide."
"Oh no… Don't tell me…" he mumbles disbelievingly, shaking his head.
"We're going to need to set up camp for the night. It's the only safe thing to do," I say, slightly enjoying his angry face.
"Come on!"
"That old tree I pointed out offered great cover. I think we can set up camp around it, forage for food, maybe build a fire…" For some reason, I am actually excited about finally putting my survival skills to use.
He gives me a skeptical look, eyeing me suspiciously with narrowed eyes.
"You… You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
I grin at him. "Maybe a little."
I mean, even if we did go camping, we'd probably freeze to death or fall off a mountain or something.
I watch as Mal combs through piles of fallen branches, completely clueless as to what he is doing.
"What am I looking for again?" He asks.
"Boughs!"
"Bows?" He yelps as if I were crazy.
"No, boughs! Thick branches covered in green leaves. We can prop them up to block off water in case it rains again!" I explain, a hint of amusement clear in my voice.
"This is the dumbest thing…" he mumbles to himself, cursing.
"Just keep looking, would you? If we get drenched again at night, we could freeze!"
Scratch that, we'd probably die of starvation. Mal wasn't that great at picking out which food was edible or poisonous…
"Now remember, there's no real rule of the thumb regarding which berries are safe to eat..."
I watch as Mal picks up a small white berry, staring at it curiously. He flicks it into his mouth, about to chew, when I warn, "Well, except don't eat white ones!" I smile in amusement as he quickly spits it out, hurriedly wiping his tongue on the collar of his shirt. I giggle as I see him literally licking his collar, gagging, and trying to get all of the white berry remains out of his mouth. He shoots me a glare that says, 'Thanks for the warning!'
"So I guess that's the rule of thumb. But besides that, just find some and bring them to me. I usually have a pretty good eye for it…" I finish. He rolls his eyes in a 'Yeah, right,' manner, and turns around to go hunt some berries.
"Oh, and bugs! Look for insects!" I call out to him.
He stops and turns around, muttering slowly, "…Insects," as if he didn't hear me.
I nod in confirmation. "Yeah, insects! We're stuck in the woods! There's nothing wrong with eating insects!" I defend.
"Except that… It's completely gross?" he scrunches his nose up in a disgusted way and begins to fake gag.
"I'll have you know that in many cultures around the world, insects form a foundational food group. In some, they're even considered a delicacy!"
"Yeah… I've got a better idea," he smirks, looking cocky.
"And what's that?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.
He replies by simply smiling. In a flash, he whips his pistol out of his holster and without even looking, fires behind him.
"What the hell was that?!" I ask, bewildered.
He just grins at me in return and walks into the brush. I try to peek over his shoulder to see what he is looking at. He eventually stands up and turns around, holding a rabbit carcass.
"That…is dinner!" he grins smugly, holding up his prize proudly. Well… Much better than eating insects…
We probably wouldn't last, even for a couple of hours, outside camping in the woods…
Hours later, Mal and I lay side-by-side in the tree, stomachs full of cooked rabbit, gazing at the stars up above us. A light rains begins to pour down so I press up against him for warmth while he gently wraps an arm around me, holding me closely.
"It's funny…" he brings up, right after our discussion about our fathers.
"What is?" I ask, looking up into his sea blue eyes.
"Your dad doesn't talk to you because you became a cop. I don't talk to my dad because he became a criminal."
"Guess we're both destined to be alone," I shrug, hopelessly.
He grins and tightens his hold on me, bringing me even closer. "Naw…" he starts. He gently lifts my chin up to face him, so he can gaze into my eyes. "We've got each other." He finishes, eyes hiding a mysterious, secret promise behind them. A promise that says he will never leave me, no matter where I go.
I smile and nuzzle into the crook of his arm, trying to hold back my sudden blush.
"Nat…" he murmurs, grinning down at me as I try to hide my burning cheeks.
"Yeah?" I ask, grinning back.
He takes a deep breath. Like he's about to admit something very important. Just as the words are about to come out, he blurts, instead, "…You can go to sleep if you want. I'll keep first watch. You know, in case whoever killed Leonard and Walter is still out there."
"Thanks," I smile and rest my head on his shoulder. I completely miss Mal making a face and silently cursing himself for 'not being a man' and 'just spitting it out.' He runs his fingers through his hair with his other hand, frustratingly.
His chest heaves as he takes a long, deep breath.
"Natara… I love you," he admits, quietly, biting his lip while waiting for my answer. His eyebrows furrow as he doesn't hear my response. He looks down to see me already in a deep sleep, completely worn out. He smiles slightly and squeezes me tighter, wrapping his other arm around me for extra warmth, so he was hugging me to him.
"I always have…" he mumbles, before gently kissing me on the forehead and placing his head there for the night.
Yep… He'd never make it out in the woods. Ever…
I was stirred from my thoughts as Mal opened the back door and stepped outside, walking towards me.
I quickly leaned up and watched him as he sat down in his usual spot, not saying a word. I stayed sitting straight up while looking at him.
"Well?" I asked, curiously.
"Well what?" he replied, a hint of a smirk forming on his face.
"Well, what was that about?"
"Nothing important… Strawberry?" he asked, holding one up to my mouth.
I rolled my eyes and took a bite anyways. "What'd he say?"
"Nothing."
I gave him a playful glare. "Mal!"
"Nat."
"Come on!"
"It's not bad, I swear. Do you trust me?"
"….I do."
"You ever think about getting hitched?" Mal asks me suddenly.
"Like…With a specific person? Or in the abstract?" I ask.
"Both."
"No… And yes."
"Heh, that's funny. I don't know that I would've pegged you as the marrying type," he smirked leaning back into the couch of 'Charles and Claudette Waldencrest's temporary home.'
"Oh, sure, the rational part of me knows it's an archaic ritual with misogynistic implications that's largely unnecessary in our modern age…But on the other hand… What little girl doesn't dream of walking down the aisle in a big, poofy, white dress?"
"Heh… You really do have a thing for poofy dresses, don't you?" he mocks.
"The Princess thing was a fluke, I told you that!"
"Yeah, yeah. The real question is, who do you picture yourself walking down the aisle with?" he asks, looking straight into my eyes. He pauses for a second before finishing with, "Does D.A. Dashing have a wedding in store?"
I glance down at the ground for a moment, then back up to him, sadly.
"Ah hell… Did you guys…?" he trails off.
"Yeah. He broke up with me."
"Damn, Nat. I'm sorry."
"No, don't be sorry," I reassure. "It was my fault."
"I find that hard to believe."
"Well… I did treat him like a suspect in the Ladykiller investigation. He didn't exactly take that well."
Mal's face turns from sad to angry. "You were doing your job. He was a legitimate suspect, and he wouldn't have been in that spot if he hadn't lied to you."
"I know. And I'm still angry at him about that. But it doesn't really matter, does it? I was his girlfriend, and I'm an FBI profiler. I should have known he wasn't a killer."
"You couldn't know that…" he tries to make me feel better.
"I could have though. That's the thing. And honestly, deep inside, I think maybe I did. But after what happened with Shawn, I just… I was afraid of letting myself be manipulated like that… I forced my brain to ignore what my heart was saying. I don't know. Maybe I'm just not fit for romance," I say, shrugging sadly.
"Come on… That's crazy," Mal replies, rolling his eyes.
"I mean it. Trust is the foundation of any relationship… But I honestly don't know if I'll be able to trust again."
Mal shakes his head, pursing his lips at me. He takes a deep breath and whispers, "…Do you remember when we first met?"
"Of course. It was just about a year ago. We were investigating the Maskmaker," I nod.
"After we busted Dr. Rose, I took you out for dinner, and we talked on the patio of the restaurant. I told you about how my wife had just left me…" he trails off, wanting me to finish for him.
"And I told you that you were going to be okay," I finish for him, smiling slightly.
Mal reaches over and gently takes my hand in his, intertwining our fingers. Using his other hand, he takes my chin and lifts it up so I can look deep into his eyes.
"Special Agent Natara Williams… You're going to be okay," he says, smiling.
"…Thanks, Mal. That's nice of you to say. But I still don't know how I'll ever really trust another guy again."
"See? That's crazy. You trust me, right?"
I look up to see him staring right back at me. His face is so earnest… Gentle… So open. I look deep into his sparkling cerulean eyes and murmur, "…I do."
We both sit there for a moment, not saying a word, completely lost in each other's eyes. We both simultaneously start to lean in, him tilting his head downwards, towards mine. For a second, I can feel his warm breath on my face as he leans even closer, our noses almost touching. We lean in a little closer, to where our lips are just about to brush.
And suddenly, Mal seems to snap out of his daze. He quickly stands up and rakes a hand through his hair, awkwardly. "Look, I… I should go get some fresh air. Make sure nothing else is going on."
"Right. Yeah. That's a g…good idea," I mumble, looking down at the ground.
"I'll… I'll be back in a few."
I see him adjust his tie and slowly turn around to walk out. As soon as he closes the door, I softly call out, "Mal…" But it's too late.
He's gone.
~CoD~
"Next time, you should trust the guy who's lived in San Francisco his entire life," Mal smirks at me, the slight wind blowing his hair back.
I sigh, looking out over the rooftops of San Francisco. "I do trust you, Mal. You know that. I just…"
"Then don't worry about it. It's not like I'm planning an assassination on you with your father," he rolled his eyes at me, holding out another strawberry for me to eat.
I grinned slightly at him, deciding to let it go. "Well, now I'm scared."
"You should be," he laughed as I took a big bite out of the fruit that he was holding up.
After a few minutes of silence, he sighed in frustration, seeming as if he was giving in to something. I raised my eyebrow at him, silently asking what was wrong.
"I wanted to give this to you later, at a more romantic time, but… There's no time like the present, right? Heh heh…" He shrugged, reaching into his pocket. He swiftly brought out a tiny box, hand poised on top, ready to open.
My eyes widened. What the crap was he doing? He wasn't…. No. No way. I was 17. I couldn't… Well, not yet, anyways!
He inhaled one last time before opening it. I looked down to see a tiny sapphire ring shaped into a heart. A plastic, tiny, sapphire, heart-shaped ring. One that you would get out of a gumball machine.
"A vending machine ring?" I asked, amused and shocked at the same time.
"Well, yeah." He took it out of the box and examined it. "I was going to get you one of those promise rings, but I… Uh. Those things are kind of expensive and I don't really have the money right now… Anyways, I got to thinking and realized that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to eventually get married and have a family with you. But we're still young and you're still in high school so it's too early to get engaged right now so think of this as kind of like… Before an engagement ring. This is a substitute for later on in our lives when I can replace this one for a better and more expensive one," he grinned at me.
My heart fluttered at his sweet words. I gingerly took it from his hands and examined the tiny plastic ring.
He bit his lip anxiously, a worried look in his eyes, wondering what I was going to say.
"…I love it. Really. This… It means a lot to me. Thank you," I said, almost speechless at how thoughtful this guy was.
"Really?" he asked, hopefully.
I nodded. "Really," I grinned and started to put it on.
"Yeah… Uh, I didn't know if it would fit your fingers, since it's a gumball ring and everything so I also bought you this to hang it on," he explained, pulling out a clear, plastic bag. Inside was a plain, silver chain. He took it out of the bag, grinning, took the ring from me, and slid it on the chain.
"There, now you have a necklace," he said, holding up the chain with the ring on it. I grinned, swept my hair aside, turning around, and gestured for him to put it on.
Chills ran down my spine as his slender fingers brushed against my neck repeatedly. He breathed on my neck saying, "There," and pulled away. I turned back around and examined the necklace, marveling at it.
I grinned and felt the plastic ring. "Sapphire?" I asked.
"Well, you don't really get to choose what comes out of the machine…" he rolled his eyes. "I was aiming for the white flower one, because it looked like a lily, but this one came out instead. Plus, I kinda ran out of quarters. But whatever. I'm happy with the result. I guess if you ever miss me or we're ever separated, it can remind you of me because of the color. Or it can be a reminder of how pretty my eyes are," he grinned, fluttering his eyelashes like a girl.
I giggled and looked back and forth from Mal's eyes to the ring. He was right. It matched his eyes almost perfectly.
"Thank you. I love it. Even though it's from a grocery store gumball machine," I smiled, teasingly.
"Wha… What do you mean 'grocery store gumball machine?!' That thing cost me a whole dollar!" he yelped.
I laughed along with him until we both ran out of breath.
After a few seconds, he took my hands in his, clearing his throat. "But on a more serious note… This ring is my promise to you that one day; I will get down on one knee and make you mine…. If you'll have me, of course. It symbolizes that wherever we go in life, I'll always love you and want you, just as much as I do now. As long as you wear this ring, it symbolizes that I want you to be mine," he looked down at the ground, smiling slightly. "I guess what I'm trying to say is… I love you, Nat."
There's too many things that I want to say, my feelings racing through my body too fast to speak out. My eyes meet his, and it's as if he hears each one loud and clear as if I were speaking them.
"Mal… There's so much I wish-" I start.
"I know," he interrupts, eyes locked with mine intensely.
"But there's not enough time to-" I blurt out, trying to find the right words.
"I know."
"Is there a short version?" I ask, biting my lip.
Mal rushes forward, grabs me by the neck, and gives me a swift kiss on the lips, firm and fast. He pulls away, looking into my eyes with sincerity.
"I'm sorry. I love you. Let's catch this son-of-a-bitch."
A smile spreads across my face as his words sink in. "Perfect."
My eyes shined with tears. And suddenly, I realized something.
"I love you too!" I said, biting my lip, trying to hold back my tears.
"Dad, I honestly believe Jacob is capable of saving Mal… He may be the only one who can. We have to do this, father," I say, pleading with my eyes.
"Mal is a good man. An honorable man. But what you're talking about… Risking your life… Putting yourself in grave danger…" my father says, eyes worried. "Why would you do this?" he finishes.
I cross the room and gently take my father's large hands in my small ones.
"…Because I love him."
"Really?" he asked, eyes shining hopefully.
I nodded. "Really."
He laughed and blew out a breath of relief. "Thank God…" he mumbled.
I just grinned at him.
"So… Does this mean that later on in life, you'll think about marrying me someday?" he asked, looking down at me.
"Yes, yes, yes! Of course! Why wouldn't I?!" I squealed, tackling him with a hug. Somehow, I pushed myself at him a little too forcefully and we both flew off the bench. Mal landed on the ground with an "Oof!" while I landed on his chest, laughing, smiling, and hugging him tightly.
He laughed and looked up at me.
"You're the best!" I exclaimed, grinning happily.
He rolled his eyes. "I know…" he said, cockily, hugging me back.
Extra scene:
(A/N Third-person P.O.V.)
Back in the house, Raj and Anita were watching the couple intently through the window.
"I can't believe they actually got together…" Raj mutters, shaking his head disbelievingly, watching as his 'little girl' tackles her boyfriend in a hug, both laughing the whole time.
"Ah… Young love," Anita agrees, nodding.
"You reminded me what young love was like," Bruce Mercer, the famous playboy, tells us, smiling widely.
Mal and I glance at each other uneasily, shocked by his statement.
"We don't… I mean," I start just as Mal stutters, "We're not… Uh." We both look at each other trying to find the right words to say.
Bruce rolls his eyes, an obvious smile on his face. "Now, now, you don't have to hide anything. I could tell by the way you talk, the way you laugh together, even the way you argue. You two are proof that there's still real love out there."
Mal and I stare at each other, stunned, not believing that this playboy is actually telling us that we are in love. I mean, c'mon. I think we would know if we were in love with each other… And actually tell each other if one was in love with the other. Or, we'd be together by now if we actually… really… seriously… felt something towards the other… Right?!
"That's true love right there…" Anita added on to her original sentence as her daughter grabbed on to Mal's neck tightly, hugging the breath out of the poor boy.
(A/N Yeah… Changed this one up, also.)
"That was the strangest accusation I've ever been a part of," I say, referring to Bruce's earlier statement, looking down in the blue pool water.
"Definitely. I've been mistaken for a lot of things in my day, but never a shining example of true love," he chuckles, swishing his feet in the water below us.
I chuckle along with him, then enjoy the small silence in between us.
"So how about once we get back to San Francisco, we drop the nerd off, go grab some Chinese, and go back to my place, eh?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.
I pretend to think about it for a moment, tapping my chin. "Hmmmmm," I tease, looking at the sky. I then grin at him and finish with, "I'd say it's a date, partner."
His face beams at my positive answer and he looks away from me. The blue glow from the swimming pool illuminates a smile that he is trying to hide.
After a few minutes of silence, he suddenly sighs, as if he were giving up on an argument. He turns to me, and his lips move as if about to say something.
"Nat… I…" he starts, then bites his lip, looking unsure of if he should tell me.
"What is it?" I ask.
He takes a deep breath before saying, "I love you, Natara." At exactly the same moment he says that, I hear a high-pitched scream from the doorway.
I look to see Kai watching us intently from the door, eyes wide.
My eyebrows furrow in confusion as I turn back to face Mal. Did he just say what I thought he said? I had to know… "What did you say, Mal?"
He shakes his head and clears his throat. "I said I love-" he starts, before there is another squeal from the doorway.
"MALTARAAAAAAAA!" Kai screams as loud as he possibly can. I quickly cover my ears and look over at Mal to see him glaring at Kai, cursing something about 'bad timing.'
Kai rushes over to us and puts an arm around both of our shoulders.
"How we doin' out here, Maltara? Having some fun in the water? Eh? Mal, have you made a move on her yet?! Have you guys kissed! Oh, this is so romantic!" Kai squeals loudly in our ears.
Mal scowls and glares at the lab tech, muttering darkly, "No…"
"Well, why not? This is just ridiculous! You need to hurry up and tell her you love her, Malachi! Don't be such a coward! Good Lord it's taking forever for you two to get together!" Suddenly he stops, eyes wide in realization. "Did I just ruin it?! Did I ruin the moment you were going to tell her?! Oh my goodness! I deserve to die! Why am I so stupid?! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" he exclaims, banging his head against his palm.
Mal glances at me, raising an eyebrow amusingly. I shrug back at him, feeling my cheeks burn.
Mal rolls his eyes as Kai continues to beat himself with his hand. "Kai, we weren't doing anything."
Kai suddenly stands up and stands in front of Mal at the edge of the pool.
"Here, Malligator! You can push me in the pool as punishment for ruining your moment! I'll never forgive myself for as long as I live! So push me in! Go ahead… Do it!" he exclaims, dramatically.
Mal glances over at me again, and I simply shrug. He shrugs back and gets a mischievous look on his face. He smirks and swiftly plants his hands on Kai's shoulders, pushing him in the blue water. Kai makes an unearthly shriek as he flies through the air, landing in the cold pool.
Mal simply grins down at me as I stand up, dusting myself off, rolling my eyes at his childishness.
Kai resurfaces, spitting out a mouthful of water, grinning, and says, "Okay… That was awesome. Can you do it again?"
Mal stands up and rolls his eyes, annoyed mostly at Kai's enjoyment. "No. We're leaving. Get out of the pool. And don't you even think about getting in my car until you are completely dry. Do you hear me?" He points a finger at the man in the pool accusingly and walks out of the back gate, me following closely behind him.
"I always picked at them and told them that they were going to get together but I never believed that they would actually do it!" Raj exclaimed, eyes wide.
"Oh my my my my. They're quite the couple, alright," Anita shakes her head, rolling her eyes.
"My! You two are quite the couple…" the tall host exclaims, observing us.
"We're, uh… Not a couple," Mal states, sheepishly.
Raj nodded, placing an arm around his wife's shoulders.
"I think they're absolutely perfect for each other," Anita sighs, resting her head on Raj's shoulder.
"And the truth is, I just don't know what to do…" Kai sighs.
"I know that we're absolutely perfect for each other, but circumstances have conspired to keep us apart," Kai tells Mal from somewhere in the dark trunk.
Mal hears Kai's words and his mind drifts back to his own recent experiences.
'Huh… Maybe we're not so different after all…' Mal thinks, face saddening. He sighs and thinks about it for a moment.
"Listen, Kai, in situations like this, you just have to tell her the truth…" Mal replies.
"But… But what if she turns me down?" Kai asks.
"That would hurt, sure… But would it hurt worse than knowing you never even tried to make it work?"
"No, I… I guess not!" Kai responds, sounding excited and chipper once again.
"And who knows, someday she might even turn herself in… Maybe she could testify against the Triads in exchange for a full pardon… I'm just saying there's hope."
"You're totally right, Mal!"
Mal smiles smugly, deciding not to say anything else and leave Kai to his own thoughts.
After a few seconds of silence, Kai interrupts with, "Malligator… Are you speaking from experience?!" his voice full of teasing.
"Shut up, Kai," Mal grumbles.
"Look at her. The way she smiles, that distant, daydreaming air… Anita, I think our daughter is in love," Raj explained.
"The way she smiles, that distant, daydreaming air…" I balance my phone in the crook of my shoulder while looking at Deb Holland's dreamy face in the interrogation room as she twirls a lock of her hair in between her fingers. "She got someone else on her mind. I've seen it before," I explain to Mal, who is currently driving to the suspect's house.
It's quiet for a second. "…Firsthand?" Mal asks, quietly.
I grin and roll my eyes, even though he can't see it. "Focus, Mal."
Anita sighed and leaned back into her husband's arms. She bit her lip as she watched her first daughter climbing back on the bench and laughing with her boyfriend. She looked up into Raj's eyes knowing that he was thinking the exact same thing as she was.
"Should we tell them?" she asked, quietly, eyes saddening.
"I don't know…" Raj mumbled.
"It will crush her… And him. They'll both be crushed."
"Anita, it's got to happen. We have to tell her sometime."
"I know, but can't we wait just a little while longer? Just a little bit before her world comes crashing down?" she asked, hopefully.
"Anita…" Raj started, sternly.
"Look, Raj," she pointed out the window to the couple. "She looks so happy right now. Do you really want to go out there and ruin that for her?"
He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. "No… I guess not."
"Exactly. Just let her have her fun for now. She deserves to have fun, because we both know she'll be a total wreck once she finds out… We'll tell her later, alright?"
"Fine…" he sighed. "But I'm giving you until July. No later than that."
She sighed, eyes drifting back outside to where her daughter was laughing at something Mal had said.
"Fine. July, it is then."
What's going on? What does Raj and Anita know that Natara doesn't? Guess you'll just have to find out in the next chapter!
I hope you liked this chapter.
So please please please review! Please? It is my birthday, after all! Come on! It'd be the best birthday gift ever! Pleeeeeeaaaaasssssseeeeeee?!
Remember I still need random pairings! I've written one whole story of a random pairing and half of another one. I'll post that at a later time though.
Random question for this chapter…
(Ironic, I know but…)
Do you play any sports?