A/N: A short little epilogue of sorts...cause you know I can't leave well enough alone these days...
The supermarket. Achilles and Patrick needed groceries, as they had nothing in their fridge. And Patrick couldn't live off peanuts he found in the couch cushions much longer. And so they decided to go to the supermarket, along with Briseis who was starting to show a bit more.
Patrick was fully recovered and ran into the supermarket leaving Briseis and Achilles pushing the cart. All they saw was a blur of blue jeans and a green hoodie pass by them. Briseis wore another knee length dress that flowed freely, white with flowers on it. Achilles put his arm around her as they walked it. His golden locks were fastened into a low ponytail at the nape of his neck. It was somewhat a domestic moment for him. He never went grocery shopping, he always ordered it online and had it delivered.
"Is this strange for you?" Briseis asked as they walked through the aisles
"It seems so domestic in a way"
"Does that scare you?"
"Nothing scares me" Achilles answered back
Patrick ran back to them and dumped items into the shopping cart, while munching on a bag of chips he already opened.
"What are you doing Patrick?" Achilles asked as he looked over the items in the cart. Extra jumbo sized marshmallows, honey roasted peanuts, dark chocolate, white chocolate, chocolate covered pretzels, pizza flavored chips, cheese in a can and popcorn.
"Just getting the basics" he answered back
"What basics?" Achilles asked
"You know the basic food groups, sugar, salt, chocolate, and vegetables"
"I don't see one actual vegetable in here Patrick" Achilles noted
"Popcorn, cmon Achilles" Patrick continued to eat his potato chips
"Stop that!" Achilles snatched the bag away from him, and Patrick snatched it back.
"It's not stealing if you eat it in the store" Patrick said
"He does have a point" Briseis said
"Don't encourage him!"
"Look, why don't you go get the milk, I can't be carrying it in my condition and all. And we'll put the stuff back ok?" Briseis said
"Alright" Achilles walked off slowly
Briseis looked at Patrick and smiled.
"You forgot the cheese doodles, and the chocolate chip cookies!" Briseis said as she took a chip from the bag
Achilles walked down to the dairy section. He looked over at the different types of milk neatly placed before him in the air conditioned section. He realized he didn't ask Brisieis what kind of milk she wanted. Whole milk? Skim milk? 1 2? Soy milk? Organic hormone free milk? Goat milk? Organic soy milk? His life started to become complicated. And in the words of his friend Odysseus women had way of complicating things. He reached and took them all and walked back.
Briseis was looking at the cereals. She picked one up and started reading the side panel.
"So I heard you're back"
Briseis turned and saw it was her seedy neighbor. The one that had told everyone in her building that they were dating even though she was in Africa.
"I saw your kidnapper, and I tried to stop him"
"I heard he punched you once and you were out like a light" Briseis answered
"That's not true, I managed to get a few hits in you know" he made the motion of punches as he walked closer to towards her, and placed his hand on the shopping cart handle where her hand was.
"My cousins say otherwise" Briseis moved her hand away slowly, but his kept following.
"So are we going on that date you promised me?"
"I never promised you anything!"
Achilles was walking back and he saw the same seedy guy he had punched out in the hallway trying to grease his way towards her. His mind was already thinking of ways to kill him, from taking the straws at the end of the aisle and stabbing him in the neck with it, or throwing one of the milk cartons he was holding at his head and knocking him out again. All these scenarios were playing out in his mind. He shook his head and walked over to the shopping cart and purposely dropped everything near the handle and making sure one of the cartons hit his hand.
"Ouch, hey watch it-" the guy looked over and then jumped up a bit, "You! You're here!"
"Yes I'm here, and you're leaving" Achilles moved the shopping cart against him and then walked towards him, circling him almost
"You're the kidnapper" the guy said
"No I'm shopping" Achilles said as he walked over to Briseis and put his arm around her, "With my wife"
"You're, you're wife!"the guy started backing away slowly
"You should do something about that stuttering problem you have" Achilles said
"No, you're, you're married?" he said backing away slowly
"And pregnant too!" Achilles said as he placed his hand on her stomach
"You didn't tell me! You said we'd go out after you got back from Africa!" the guy yelled out in disbelief
"I said no such thing! You are totally deranged do you know that! You've been trying to get me to go on a date with you ever since I moved into that building! Why can't you take a hint?" Briseis threw the box of cereal at him
"You should leave before she gets mad" Achilles gestured
The guy turned quickly and started to run down the aisle. Achilles picked up a milk carton and smiled. He threw it with precise accuracy and hit him in the back of the head, and he fell over. Apparently it didn't take much to knock this guy out.
"Was that the organic soy milk?" Brisieis asked
"I think so" Achilles said as he looked back to the cart
"Why did you get that one? I hate soy"
"Is it always like this with you?" Achilles asked
"Like what?"
"Exhausting"
"Well maybe you just need practice. And what is this talk of me being your wife?"
"Is that such a horrible thing?"
"Are you planning on making me an honest woman for my bastard child?"
"Is that the same mouth I kiss you with?"
"It's done more than just kiss you"
"Such things you say. There are children here Briseis. Won't someone think of the children?" Achilles mimicked. He put his arm around her again and kissed her forehead.
Briseis rolled her eyes at him and kept walking pushing the cart along. Achilles still wondered why she did not want to be his wife.,
"Briseis do you not want to marry me?" Achilles asked
"You're not the marrying type"
"What?" Achilles grabbed the shopping cart handle and stopped it and looked over at her.
"Nothing"
"No it's not nothing"
"Achilles can we have to conversation later?"
"Why do you think I'm not the marrying type?"
"You don't have to marry me because I'm pregnant"
"Is that what you think?"
"Don't feel obliged to do it. I don't expect it."
Briseis pushed the cart and went into another aisle. Achilles stood there watching her. Her words for the first time hurt him. He wanted to reach out to her and tell her that he loved her, and he wanted to marry her, not that he had to. He slowly walked after Brises. Patrick was dumping more things into the cart.
"I want a pineapple" Briseis said
"Sliced or crushed?" Patrick asked
"Neither, I want a real pineapple" Briseis started pushing the cart
"Are you going to eat it? How are you going to eat it?" Patrick said as he followed her, "Does it come with an umbrella?"
Achilles watched his cousin and her walk down the aisle. He wondered why she felt that way. That she was an obligation.
Happy endings are for stories that haven't finished yet...and yeah I had to finish things with that creepy neighbor. Just a wee bit more left...We haven't even gotten to the whole Paris thing yet.